Governor Markell has ordered the American and Delaware flags lowered in honor of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

With the passing of former First Lady Nancy Reagan on Sunday, March 6, 2016, Governor Markell has ordered American and Delaware flags at state buildings and facilities be flown at half-staff beginning immediately as a mark of respect for the memory of Mrs. Reagan. The lowering of the flags also marks the passing of Former Delaware Supreme Court Justice Henry Ridgely Horsey on March 3, 2016.

President Obama today ordered American flags at all U.S. government buildings and facilities to be flown at half-staff “as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on March 22, 2016, in Brussels, Belgium.” In concurrence with the President’s order and as an expression of Delaware’s sympathy for the […]

DOVER –Governor Jack Markell recognized and celebrated the efforts of the 2016 recipients of the Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service, winner and finalists of the Governor’s Team Excellence Award and winners of the Governor’s Award for Heroism. The award winners and nominees were recognized for their exemplary efforts in service to […]

The below workshops are being held to provide information regarding the Delaware State Employees’ Pension Plan benefits. There is no cost or pre-registration required to attend these workshops. Participants will learn how to prepare their own estimated benefit using the Pension Office website. You are encouraged to bring your Comprehensive Annual Statement. Please be on […]

With the passing of State Representative Harold J. “Jack” Peterman yesterday, Governor Markell has ordered the American and Delaware flags at state buildings and facilities be flown at half-staff beginning the morning of Friday, August 12 as a mark of respect for Representative Peterman and his service to Delaware. Representative Peterman served in the Delaware […]

With the passing of David P. Buckson on Tuesday, January 17 Governor Carney has ordered the United States and Delaware flags at state buildings and facilities be flown at half-staff beginning Friday, January 20 as a mark of respect for Mr. Buckson and his service to Delaware. Mr. Buckson served on the bench of the […]

Governor Carney has ordered the United States and Delaware flags at state buildings and facilities be flown at half-staff beginning today, July 19 to mark the passing of former Delaware Representative Katharine Jester. Representative Jester served the residents of the Middletown area  and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1980 and served until […]

With the passing of former State Senator Steven Amick on Wednesday, January 23 Governor Carney has ordered the United States and Delaware flags at state buildings and facilities be flown at half-staff beginning Friday morning, February 1 as a mark of respect for Mr. Amick and his service to Delaware. Mr. Amick’s legislative career began […]

Services for Mr. Haskell are scheduled for 10 AM on Monday January 27. As such, flags are to be lowered Monday morning January 27 and are to be returned to full-staff at the close of business on Monday, January 27.

Moratorium under the Insolvency And Bankruptcy Code

Arbitration as a Career: Webinar with Ratan K Singh, FCIArb

Governor Jack Markell, DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara and Delaware Department of Agriculture Secretary Ed Kee joined Delmarva Wellnet Foundation-EDEN Delmarva members to celebrate the success of the foundation’s food recycling project REPLENISH.

Delaware residents should ask pesticide contractors for their state pesticide business license information before hiring them, state agricultural officials advise. "Spring and summer are a busy season for pesticide applicators, as many people get their lawns spruced up," said Dave Pyne, pesticides administrator for the Department of Agriculture. "We want homeowners to know that all pesticide applicators in Delaware should be licensed and certified, which ensures everyone is working by approved standards."

The long-term battle to restore the Chesapeake Bay is quietly being waged on the Deep Creek Tract of Redden State Forest in Georgetown.

UPDATE: This event will take place at Kent County’s Brecknock Park – all other details are the same. For directions: click here   “Forestry for the future” – Students to test forestry skills at Brecknock Park on June 25. Contact: Ashley Peebles, 302-698-4551 ashley.peebles@delaware.gov Who:     – Delaware school chapters of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and […]

A crew of 20 wildland firefighters from the Delaware Forest Service that departed on Friday, July 5 has joined over 680 personnel working on the 65,000-acre Stuart Creek 2 fire, located 25 miles east of North Pole, Alaska. The blaze is only 5 percent contained and burning through a mix of hardwoods and black spruce. The crew is assigned to a "remote spike camp" and is making the adjustment to long hours of daylight typical of an Alaskan summer. The first operational day for the crew was Monday, July 8.

July 9, 2013: Update on the crew of 20 Delaware wildland firefighters in Alaska The crew of 20 firefighters from Delaware are now part of over 730 personnel assigned to the Stuart Creek 2 Fire – a wildfire located about 25 miles east of the town of North Pole, Alaska which has grown to 82,274 […]

Visitors to the Delaware State Fair can learn how to cook Japanese foods, carve a chicken, eat healthy on a budget and make a watermelon banana split – all in one place, at the Department of Agriculture’s Education Building. Starting Friday, July 19, DDA and its partners will offer a lineup of free food and cooking demonstrations every day of the fair.

Farmers interested in learning more about protecting commodities revenue and keeping cash flow constant can attend a risk management workshop next week. The Aug. 27 event will be 9 a.m. to noon at the Carvel Research and Education Center, Georgetown.

Learn about beekeeping basics, beehives, honey production and more at a free Open Hive Event sponsored by the Delaware Beekeepers Association. The free public event will be 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 21 at Redden State Forest, Georgetown.

As part of National Fire Prevention Month in October, Smokey Bear will be visiting classrooms with the Delaware Forest Service's yearly fire prevention education programs targeted to first-grade students in the state's private, public, and charter schools. Ashley Peebles coordinates the successful effort that reaches around 9,000 students annually.

535 kindergarten students at McIlvaine Early Childhood Center in Magnolia learned fire safety from Smokey Bear as part of the Delaware Forest Service's annual education program. Located in the Caesar Rodney School District, McIlvaine is the largest kindergarten program in the First State.

Five marketing and research projects supporting Delaware crops will receive nearly $230,000 in funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Ed Kee announced today.

Delaware jockeys are continuing their support of a nutrition program to help improve jockey health and safety on the state’s racetracks with a recent donation.

The Delaware Forest Service funded a streetscape project in Georgetown, highlighted by the planting of 18 new cherry and lilac trees along East Market Street near the Sussex County Courthouse. Total cost was estimated at $37,000.

The Governor released a statement on USDA Report Showing Positive Impact of Farming Practices in Chesapeake Bay Region.

The Delaware Department of Agriculture's marketing team has been honored by the Delaware Food Industry Council for its work connecting farmers and grocers.

The Delaware Forest Service is seeking qualified and interested individuals for its upcoming series of wildfire training classes at the Delaware State Fire School. Ideal candidates should be: at least 18 years of age, physically and mentally fit, motivated to learn, and willing to travel for two weeks or more for out-of-state assignments.

Tickets are now available for the 43rd annual Agricultural Industry Dinner on Jan. 23 at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino. An early-bird discount is available for registrations received by Dec. 31.

A Beekeeping 101 workshop will be held Jan. 18 for anyone interested in the art and science of beekeeping. The event will take place 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Delaware State University Research & Outreach Center, 844 Smyrna-Leipsic Road, Smyrna.

"Invading Your Forest," a workshop on managing invasive species in Delaware woodlands, will be held on Friday, January 17 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the ACE building-Delaware State Fairgrounds, Harrington.

Photos are available for media use on Flickr. DOVER – Delaware’s community farmers’ markets set a new sales record in 2013, with shoppers buying more than $2.1 million in fresh produce and other goods, the Department of Agriculture said Tuesday. Gov. Jack Markell and Secretary of Agriculture Ed Kee announced the news at an annual […]

Delmarva farmers interested in learning more about protecting commodities revenue and crop insurance sign-ups before the March 15 deadline can attend a free risk management workshop next month. The March 5 event will be 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Carvel Research and Education Center, Georgetown.

DOVER — Delaware farmstand owners are invited to a free marketing workshop next month to learn how to reach more customers and improve profits. “Using the latest marketing techniques can make a real difference for farmers’ profitability,” said Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Ed Kee. “Our farmers are working hard every day to grow the freshest […]

Brian Michalski was honored as the 2014 Delaware Tree Farmer of the Year at the annual meeting of the Delaware Forestry Association in Bridgeville recently. Michalski is a four-time chair of the state Tree Farm Committee and has operated his 59-acre tree farm near Greenwood, Sussex County since it was first certified in 1997. He has also been DFA’s president for four years.

With farm stands opening their doors and farmers' market seasons kicking off this month, it's now easier than ever for Delawareans to buy their farm-fresh items directly from growers.

The acting executive director of the Delaware Harness Racing Commission has been named to the post permanently. Mark Davis, the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s deputy principal assistant and policy advisor, had been acting director since September 2013 after previously serving as a liaison to the harness racing industry.

Delaware farmers are among the most productive and efficient in the nation, with the First State remaining first in the nation in the value of agricultural products sold per acre, according to U.S. Census of Agriculture data released Friday.

Governor Jack Markell celebrated Arbor Day by joining over 500 kindergarten students at McIlvaine Early Childhood Center for a ribbon-cutting to unveil the school's new "Tree Walk & Talk Arboretum." Gov. Markell also honored winners of the Delaware Forest Service's annual Arbor School Poster Contest and joined in commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the adoption of the American holly as Delaware's state tree in 1939.

With warm weather here and mosquito season under way, Delaware horse owners are being advised to make certain their equines’ vaccinations are current to protect against the threat of two potentially fatal diseases. Unvaccinated horses suffer most severely from both West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis, which are spread by infected mosquitoes and can be fatal.

Middletown High School FFA students won the 2014 “Forestry Career Development Event (CDE),” a challenging test of tree identification skills, forestry tools and knowledge, and math-related abilities. Sussex Central High School's FFA team placed second. Each team consisted of four students who answered both individual and team-based questions. Middletown will now represent Delaware at the National FFA Convention and Expo in Louisville, Kentucky that begins on October 29, 2014.

To honor October as “Fire Prevention Month,” Smokey Bear will visit over 90 Delaware schools to teach children that “only you can prevent wildfires.” Ashley Peebles, trainer-educator for the Delaware Forest Service, oversees the annual Smokey Bear program, which reached almost 8,000 children last year. 2014 marks the 70th Anniversary of Smokey Bear's introduction in 1944, which has evolved into the longest running public service campaign in U.S. history.

The Delaware Forest Service plans to conduct a prescribed fire on 74 acres west of U.S. Route 113 near the Town of Frankford, Sussex County. The burning could begin as early as Monday, October 27, though officials estimate the date might be closer to mid-week. The actual date of ignition will depend on local weather and fuel conditions.

DOVER — Tickets are now available for the 44th annual Agricultural Industry Dinner on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015, at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino. An early-bird discount is available for registrations received by December 31. Sponsored by the Delaware Council of Farm Organizations, the event began in 1971 as a way to celebrate Delaware farmers […]

The Delaware Forest Service (DFS) is seeking recruits to enroll in its upcoming wildfire training classes at the Delaware State Fire School. Candidates should be at least 18 years of age, physically and mentally fit, motivated to learn, and willing and able to travel for at least two weeks or more (usually during the summer) for out-of-state fire assignments. Previous firefighting experience is not required. The deadline for course registration is January 3, 2015.

Delaware farmers’ markets had a record $2.6 million sales season, double that of just five years ago, thanks to dramatically increasing interest in local food and farm-fresh products, the Delaware Department of Agriculture announced today. “This record-setting season is a reflection of Delaware’s thriving local food movement,” said Governor Jack Markell.

Farmers and agricultural professionals attending Delaware Ag Week 2015 can now get even more business advice and expertise, as the Delaware Department of Agriculture is expanding its popular direct marketing workshop to a full day.

The Delaware Forest Service's Urban and Community Forestry (U&CF) Program is offering a new "Partnership Tree Planting Grant" to nonprofit groups who own property within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The U&CF Program will award eight (8) $1000 matching grants on a first-come, first-served basis to qualifying nonprofit groups who apply by February 27, 2015.

The Delaware Department of Agriculture reminds poultry and livestock growers to take proper precautions to shelter and protect their animals as winter storm season is upon us.