Northeast SARE serves Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Each state applies for grants annually for professional development program (PDP) training and program outreach under the leadership of the state SARE PDP coordinator. Additionally, a team serves as an advisory committee to the state coordinator to help guide programming and outreach.
Stephen Komar
NJ SARE Program Coordinator Agricultural Agent
Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Sussex County
Email: komar@njaes.rutgers.edu
Phone: (973) 948-3040
Stephen Komar, County Agent II / Associate Professor, Department of Agriculture and Resource Management. Komar’s responsibilities include crop production, developing new crop enterprises, nutrient management and innovative agri-business including value-added production and agritourism risk management.
Michelle Infante-Casella
NJ SARE Program Assistant Coordinator and Agricultural Agent
Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Gloucester County
Email: minfante@njaes.rutgers.edu
Phone: (856) 307-6450
Michelle Infante-Casella, County Agent II / Associate Professor, serves as a SARE State Coordinator for agricultural professionals training opportunities. Areas of expertise include direct marketing, agritourism, vegetable production, cover crops and other sustainable agriculture topics.
William Bamka
Agricultural Agent
Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Burlington County
Email: wbamka@co.burlington.nj.us
Phone: (609) 265-5050
William Bamka, County Agent II / Associate Professor, serves as a regional agronomist in southern New Jersey. Bill’s expertise includes field and forage crop production, soil fertility and alternative crops.
Lucas Marxen
Rutgers Office of Research Analysis
Email: ljmarxen@njaes.rutgers.edu
Phone: (848) 932-4543
Lucas Marxen, Assistant Director of Research Technology at the Office of Research Analytics, provides leadership on geographic information systems (GIS) and the integration of computer technology and interactive website applications for research and extension initiatives. He has also developed in-house capacity for developing custom software, database and website solutions to assist in data collection, analysis, and dissemination on a variety of research and extension initiatives.
Meredith Melendez
Agricultural Agent
Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Mercer County
Email: melendez@njaes.rutgers.edu
Phone: (609) 989-6830
Meredith Melendez, County Agent III/Assistant Professor, provides educational outreach to fresh produce growers on the topics of on-farm food safety and alternative agriculture through Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Mercer County. Additionally Meredith provides assistance to beginning farmers. Recent research projects include evaluating soil copper levels due to copper fungicide applications, packinghouse surface sanitation assessments, and post-rain event risk for E. coli splash on spinach.
Brian Schilling
Extension Specialist in Agricultural Policy
Email: brischi@sebs.rutgers.edu
Phone: (848) 932-9127
Brian Schilling is an Associate Extension Specialist of Agricultural Policy within Rutgers Cooperative Extension and Associate Professor of agricultural, food and resource economics at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University. During his 23 years at the School, much of Dr. Schilling’s research has been focused on New Jersey farm viability, farmland preservation, and agricultural economic development at the urban-rural fringe.