News

July 2008 - Sandra La Vigne inspecting Perilla at Snyder Research Farm........... Perilla, an aromatic culinary herb from Korea is being evaluated as a new ethnic green for the produce industry. With each new crop we always assess whether the plant is susceptible to any insects and diseases.

Sandra LaVigne:  I am fortunate to come to Snyder Farm as an intern in my junior year at Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.  My internship is funded through a cooperative effort of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.  I am a returning student with a background in the medical field, a wonderfully supportive husband and two little girls.  It is because of my family and especially the desire to see my girls grow up in a better world that I returned to school.  Though my main focus at school is ornithology and conservation, as an ecology and natural resources major I have a broad range of interests related to conservation including the role that current agricultural practices play. 

Snyder Research Farm offers me a great opportunity to advance my knowledge in many areas.  I have been involved in integrated pest management studies using various crops in the same field to attract beneficial insects to help reduce the use of pesticides and learned how to check crops for harmful insects to determine if pesticide use in needed.  The farm is also involved in a study with the NJ DEP involving the placement of nest boxes for kestrels in the hope that providing nest sites for this important species will help to re-introduce them into the area.   I have also learned planting and cultivating techniques essential to agriculture.  I look forward to applying all the knowledge I have gained from Snyder Research Farm to my career as an environmental scientist.