Rutgers university is NJ's land-grant institution and home to the NJ agricultural experiment station (NJAES)

The Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey $3,851,568 under the Hatch Act (CFDA 10.203) on October 1, 2025, for agricultural research conducted by the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.

The award funds research addressing five priority areas: advancing viable agriculture and aquaculture; building sustainable and resilient communities; ensuring healthy outcomes in food, nutrition, and health; promoting youth development; and protecting and sustaining natural resources. Research focuses on extreme weather impacts, energy independence and security, pesticide-resistant pests and pathogens, and food security. The New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station delivers research findings through educational programs and training, technology transfer, policy recommendations, peer-reviewed publications, and spin-off company formation, with outreach accomplished statewide through dozens of centers, institutes, off-campus research stations, and cooperative extension offices serving all New Jersey residents, businesses, and communities.

The award period runs from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027. Work is performed in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Hatch Act funding is expected to be fully expended in the fiscal year of appropriation; up to 100 percent of funds may be carried over for up to one year after the end of the year for which they were appropriated without prior approval.

NJAES strives to develop and deliver practical science-based solutions that contribute to agricultural sustainability and health and wellness of our communities and the environment through research and community outreach. The critical issues that stakeholders have identified fall into five broad categories and form the basis of the NJAES work plan: 1. Advance viable agriculture and aquaculture; 2. Build sustainable and resilient communities; 3. Ensure healthy outcomes: food, nutrition, health; 4. Promote youth development to ensure positive outcomes; 5. Protect and sustain our resources. NJAES supports research projects needed to deal with these critical issues in areas that focus on extreme weather impacts, expanding energy independence and security, dealing with the emergence of pesticide-resistant pests and pathogens, and increasing food security. Our projects and programs are consistent with USDA-nifa science priority areas. NJAES maintains its commitment to make its resources, expertise, and programs available to all NJ residents, businesses, and communities. Through our research projects we use innovative approaches to apply the land-grant model to support a sustainable agricultural and food system at the urban/suburban fringe; protect the state's natural resources; sustainably develop NJ's human and community capital; and address nutrition, health and wellness concerns. Research development findings are delivered via educational programs and training, technology transfer, policy recommendations, public-oriented publications, peer-reviewed professional/scientific publications, and the formation of spin-off companies. This research to extension integrated outreach is achieved statewide through dozens of centers, institutes, and off-campus research stations and cooperative extension offices.