Two-Day Tour of South Jersey

(l. to r.) Art Brown, senior associate dean, Dean Goodman, Mark Robson, director of NJAES, Eric Powell, director of the Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory, and Gail Alexander, senior executive associate, tour the Haskin dock.

Bags of shells sit on the Haskin dock. These oyster shells will be cleaned, seeded with oyster larvae, and "planted" in the Delaware Bay as part of the Delaware Bay Oyster Restoration Project.

A tank filled with various oyster and clam species in the Haskin wet lab.

Art Brown looks at a tank filled with species, such as horseshoe crabs and oysters, representative of those found in the Delaware Bay.

The 115-foot oyster schooner, the A.J. Meerwald, is an educational vessel used to encourage stewardship to preserve the culture, history, and natural resources of the Delaware Estuary.

(l. to r.) Art Brown and Mark Robson enjoy the sights and sounds aboard the A.J. Meerwald.

Art Brown (far right) points out crabbing boats to (l. to r.) Mark Robson and Gail Alexander.

Lisa Ragone-Calvo, a visiting scientist, explains her project to promote oyster restoration in schools (K-12) to Dean Goodman.

Farmers line up their trucks with samples of their best produce for sale at the Vineland Produce Auction. Buyers, who represent grocery stores and restaurants, inspect these samples before bidding.

The Vineland Auction is electronic, with buyers watching a projected screen and bidding by "buzzer."

(l. to r.) Mark Robson, Gail Alexander, and Dean Goodman look on as workers at the Vineland Produce Auction ready shipments for loading onto tractor trailers. Produce from the auction is shipped throughout the East Coast.

Centerton Nursery is owned and operated by the Blew family. Purchased in 1975, the Blews began with 9 acres of leased land and no employees. Today, they own 230 acres and employ 80 people. The structures to the right are greenhouses designed and built on-site; they measure 600 feet by 31 feet and rank among the largest overwintering greenhouses in the world.

(l. to r.) Mark Robson, Ray Blew, owner of Centerton Nursery, and Dean Goodman tour one of the greenhouses. The hoses above are part of a computerized watering system.

Centerton Nursery is famous for its daylilies. In the greenhouse, Denny Blew, Ray's son, works on breeding new varieties.

Dean Goodman and Art Brown try the 2004 Chambourcin at Tomasello Winery in Hammonton. Tomasello is New Jersey's largest winery. It was founded in 1933 and remains a family-owned and operated business.

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