RCE, NJFB receive anonymous donation, fundraising

An anonymous donor has challenged Rutgers Cooperative Extension and New Jersey Farm Bureau to raise additional funds for Rutgers Cooperative Extension for new specialists and county-based natural resource agents’ programming to support production agriculture in the Garden State.
The anonymous individual donated $10,000.
All gifts will be matched dollar for dollar up to that amount.
Funds will be managed by Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
Funds will be used for research and outreach directly aligned with industry needs.
Melissa McKillip, director of philanthropy and strategic partnerships for the New Jersey Ag Experiment Station and a vice dean for advancement at Rutgers’ School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, said the donor came forth in the fall of 2019.
“It was one of those things where we discussed what was in the best interests of the industry, Farm Bureau and Cooperative Extension, and this was an opportunity to engage various members of the community to support Cooperative Extension and production agriculture,” McKillip said in late December.
“The goal is to raise a lot of money for production agriculture in the state, however the first goal is to raise $10,000,” she said, acknowledging $10,000 is not enough to support a salary for a county ag Extension agent, but the fund is aimed at creating financial support for programming.
Production agriculture is defined as all those involved in cultivating land, rearing crops and livestock, farm enterprises, working with the farm owners and operators and industries that are ag-related, McKillip said.
Interested parties or organizations may donate online through a website devoted to philanthropy at Rutgers specifically earmarked for support of production agriculture in New Jersey by visiting https://makeagift.rutgers.edu/production-ag-fund.html.
Interested individual donors, organizations and businesses may contact McKillip by calling him at 848-932-4214.
Donations made payable to Rutgers University Foundation may be sent to Rutgers NJAES Dean’s Office; Attn: Melissa McKillip; 88 Lipman Drive, Suite 104; New Brunswick, NJ 08901.
Donations are tax deductible.