VIRTUAL ORCHARD - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Research and Extension Farm in Pittstown, Hunterdon County, New Jersey

Job Titles:

• PROFESSOR and COUNTY AGRICULTURAL AGENT / RUTGERS COOPERATIVE

Winfred P. Cowgill, Jr., joined the faculty of Rutgers, the State University as a county agricultural agent in 1978. He completed his undergraduate degree in Horticulture at Delaware Valley College (74) in Doylestown, Pennsylvania and a Masters Degree in Pomology at Rutgers, the State University. He has been employed as a county agricultural agent with Rutgers Cooperative Extension where he started at the rank of Instructor and was promoted to Professor I in 1993. Win Cowgill is an area fruit agent who conducts numerous applied research projects in tree fruit and vegetable crops at the Rutgers Snyder Research and Extension Farm. Cowgill is co-owner and co-webmaster of the Virtual Orchard ® with Jon Clements. Win grew up in Metuchen, New Jersey and was the son of Paul and Polly Cowgill. He gained the love of agriculture from his grandfather, Paul Drummond, after spending much time on his dairy and crop farm in Delaware. Brief stints in farming and a landscaping business led him to return to Cook College, Rutgers University to take a course in Systematic Pomology with Dr.'s Fred Hough and Catherine Bailey. A masters degree in Pomology was set in motion and a career in Cooperative Extension as a county agricultural agent specializing in tree fruit production and marketingthat has spanned 24 years and 220 days, but who is counting.