NEW JERSEY FARM BUREAU VOTES TO JOIN

RUTGERS EQUINE SCIENCE CENTER ‘COMMUNITY OF 50’

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ (February 28, 2007) – The New Jersey Farm Bureau has become the first organizational member of the Equine Science Center’s “Community of 50 for Equine Excellence” by committing to an annual gift of $10,000 to the Center. The initial installment was delivered on February 15, 2007.
 

According to Rich Nieuwenhuis, president of the New Jersey Farm Bureau, this action was taken by the group’s Board of Directors for a number of reasons. “First, New Jersey Farm Bureau has had a long association with the Equine Science Center through its advisory group, the Rutgers University Board for Equine Advancement,” says Nieuwenhuis. “We also admire and appreciate the work that Equine Science Center is doing. But most important, we recognize that equine agriculture is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with in New Jersey.”

Agricultural activities involving and supporting horses are a primary business of many Farm Bureau members, he added “and the New Jersey Farm Bureau wishes to partner with the Equine Science Center to make sure that our story is getting out to the horse community,” he says.

The Community of 50 for Equine Excellence was created in 2005 to create a $3 million endowment for the Equine Science Center at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Members pledge annual donations of $10,000 or more, which puts them at the giving rank of the President’s Council, one of the highest recognition levels of the Rutgers University Foundation.

According to Dr. Karyn Malinowski, director of the Equine Science Center, “Up until now, individuals have generously opted to become members of the Community of 50 for Equine Excellence. We welcome New Jersey Farm Bureau as the first organization to join the ranks, and we hope that other groups and corporations will follow their example and help up reach this crucial endowment goal.”

Further information about the Community of 50 and other giving opportunities is available by contacting the Center at 732-932-9419 or esc@aesop.rutgers.edu. Information also is posted on the Center’s website: www.esc.rutgers.edu.