A Message from the Executive Director

On behalf of Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES), I am delighted to welcome you to the annual Cape May County 4-H Fair. As Abraham Lincoln once noted, agricultural fairs “…render more pleasant, and more strong, and more durable the bond of social and political union among us.” More than 150 years later, this is still true, and the more so in our increasingly urbanized world.
This year, in celebration of Rutgers 250th anniversary, all of the New Jersey county fairs will feature the theme, “Rutgers. Revolutionary for 250 Years,” and select fairs will prominently feature booths that will highlight NJAES research and activities that touch your life and your community every day.
Through Rutgers New Jersey 4-H, youth “learn by doing” and are exposed to all of our focus areas: agriculture and food systems; environment and natural resource systems; food, nutrition, and health; and human and community development. In 2015, more than 38,445 New Jersey youth enrolled in a range of 4-H activities, from interactive projects promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) literacy to an array of statewide enrichment and leadership programs.
Close to 1,865 adults and more than 294 youth donated their time to New Jersey 4-H, serving as dedicated community volunteers who provided stimulating programs and outstanding mentoring to 4-H youth participants.
Rutgers 4-H Summer Science Program continues to offer a one-week campus experience of hands-on STEM research for high school participants who return home to serve as local 4-H Science Ambassadors, delivering youth science programs in afterschool and summer settings. The statewide 4-H Camp in Sussex County has upgraded its facilities, created new spaces for classes and programs to enhance the sleep-away camp experience for new and returning campers. 4-H camp alumni and staff, many of whom started as campers, are living testimony to the enriching value of summer camp.
As you visit the fair today, I hope that you enjoy learning more about the wide range of programs and activities that New Jersey 4-H offers to the youth of the Garden State. As our bumper sticker says, “4-H Connects Kids with Rutgers”; indeed 4-H also connects families and communities to Rutgers, your university.
Take the time to visit nj4h.rutgers.edu and follow New Jersey 4-H on Facebook.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Goodman
Executive Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Executive Director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
Executive Dean of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey