A Kent County horse has tested positive for West Nile Virus, the Department of Agriculture announced today. The horse, which is recovering well, is Delaware's first confirmed equine case of West Nile Virus since 2003, said Delaware State Veterinarian Dr. Heather Hirst, who urged equine owners to get their horses vaccinated.

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.

A second Delaware horse has tested positive for West Nile Virus, but has recovered. The two-year-old filly from Sussex County is the state’s second confirmed case of West Nile Virus since 2003. Delaware’s first equine case of West Nile Virus this year was diagnosed in Kent County in August; that horse has also recovered.

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.

Delaware’s farming future and long agricultural heritage were both recognized today in a ceremony honoring the newest participants in the state’s Young Farmers Program and the latest inductees into the Century Farm Program, with the announcement that 10 young farmers would be receiving no-interest loans from the First State’s new innovative assistance program, now in its second year.

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.

More than 30 Delaware farmers have Christmas trees available for First State merrymakers this holiday season, with firs, spruces and pines in abundance – and easy to find and buy with the Delaware Fresh mobile app. The app and a related website, de.gov/christmastrees, feature locations, hours and other shopping information.

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.

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 […]

Forty-four new farms totaling more than 4,300 acres have been selected for permanent easements to add to the Delaware Farmland Preservation Program, the Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation has announced.

The 2014 Delaware Arborist and Tree Care Seminar will be held on March 4 and 5 at Baywood Greens in Long Neck, Sussex County. Cost is $80 with lunch included. Register at delawaretrees.com.

Delaware farmers produced a record $1.2 billion worth of crops and livestock in 2012, according to Census of Agriculture data released Thursday, showing how First State agriculture is thriving and succeeding despite economic challenges, state leaders said.

The Delaware Forest Service's 2014 Arbor Day Poster Contest is now open to all Delaware students in grades K to 5. Public, private and home schools are encouraged to participate as well as after-school groups and youth organizations. Posters are due by April 4th, 2013. This year's poster contest theme - "Trees are Terrific…In Cities and Towns!" - is dedicated to the important role that trees play in our communities and schoolyards.

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 […]

The Delaware Forestry Association (DFA) will present its 2014 Tree Farmer of the Year Award at its annual meeting on Thursday, March 27, 2014 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the Bridgeville Fire Hall, 311 Market St., Bridgeville, DE 19933. Tickets are $27 for adults and $12.50 for children ages 6 to 12. DFA is a nonprofit organization established in 1982 to promote the sustainable practice of forestry on the Delmarva Peninsula. Info at delawareforest.com.

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.

Delaware growers are the first on the East Coast able to take advantage of a new online tool that helps protect sensitive crops from pesticides that may drift due to wind or weather. Delaware is the newest participant in the DriftWatch program, which allows growers of certain crops or commercial beekeepers to alert pesticide applicators of sensitive areas before they spray.

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 Delaware Forest Service will hold its 19th annual Fire Camp at Redden State Forest near Georgetown on Saturday, April 26 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The intensive one-day seminar provides hands-on training to volunteer wildland firefighters and, weather permitting, will feature a "live burn" exercise in which crew members battle an actual wildfire.

Irrigation can increase grain production and profitability even in a near-ideal growing season, a new survey of Delaware cropland shows.

More than $336,000 in federal grant funding is now available for projects to help produce, market or access Delaware-grown fruit, vegetables and certain other crops.

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.

Homebrewers from around the region can compete in Delaware’s premier home-brewed beer competition, the Fourth Annual Battle of the Brews at the Delaware State Fair. The July 19 event is a Beer Judge Certification Program-sanctioned event, where certified judges will rate and rank the work of home-brewing enthusiasts, sponsored by the Delaware Department of Agriculture.

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.

Delaware hog owners, veterinarians and laboratories are now required to report suspected cases of two rapidly spreading swine diseases to the Delaware Department of Agriculture. Delaware has had no cases of either disease reported to date.

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.

HARRINGTON — Visitors to the Delaware State Fair can learn about farming, explore the fair and win prizes this year with the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s new Fair Scavenger Hunt. Families can search for answers in the fair’s animal barns, on equipment row, and in the DDA buildings, gaining a deeper understanding of the importance […]

In response to increased wildfire activity in the western United States, the Delaware Forest Service (DFS) dispatched a crew of volunteer wildland firefighters from Blackbird State Forest in Smyrna on Saturday, July 19 that traveled to Redmond, Oregon. The team is getting in position to fight a wildfire in that region and should receive its assignment in the next 24 hours. The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho recently upped its National Fire Preparedness Level to 3 on a 5-point scale. However in the Northwest, the regional level is currently at the maximum 5 on a 5-point scale due to the incidence of 17 new fires and 24 large uncontained blazes.

Delaware Governor Jack Markell, Perdue Farms Chairman & CEO Jim Perdue, and DuPont Pioneer representatives celebrated a venture today that is increasing economic opportunity for Delaware farmers and creating healthier foods for consumers. In remarks at the Delaware Department of Agriculture's Education Building, officials and company executives shared the successes and plans for future growth of DuPont Pioneer's Plenish brand high-oleic soybean oil, a soy-based trans fat-free alternative for food companies and for foodservice operators.

The Delaware Department of Agriculture and landscape artist Mark S. Reeve are partnering on a year-long project to preserve the images of historic First State farms.

The Delaware Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program is accepting applications for its 2014 grant program from municipalities, homeowner associations, and certified 501(c)(3) non-profit groups in Delaware. Grants range from $1,000 to $5,000 for either tree planting or tree management projects and require a 50-50 cost-share match in cash or in-kind services. Projects must be performed on public land and only one project in one category by each applicant is permitted. Applications will be judged on a competitive basis by a committee of the Delaware Community Forestry Council. Deadline for submission is September 15, 2014.

High-resolution images on Delaware Forest Service’s Facebook Photo Album DOVER – The Delaware Forest Service has sent a second wildfire crew to the western United States as 41 active large fires are burning over 700,000 acres across five western states, with most concentrated in California, Oregon, and Washington, with 10 each. So far this year, […]

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.

The Delaware Forest Service's Urban and Community Forestry Program is awarding over $47,000 in competitive grants to fund 14 community-based tree projects in all three Delaware counties. This year, more than half of the successful projects - a total of $29,429.35 - addressed tree management issues such as the removal of hazardous trees. Overall, 11 projects were funded in New Castle County, one in Kent County, and two in Sussex County.

Thanks to funding from the U.S. Forest Service's Forest Legacy Program, four former Glatfelter Pulp Wood, Inc. forested parcels totaling 371 acres are now part of Redden State Forest. The completion of the $1.35 million purchase this week marked the final phase of the Green Horizons Forest Legacy Program project in Delaware initiated in 2004 with the purchase of an easement on the 908-acre Ponders Tract near Ellendale.

Four families which have owned their farms for at least 100 years were honored as owners of Century Farms on Tuesday in a ceremony honoring Delaware agriculture’s long heritage and historic roots.

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 […]

Delaware farmers, lawn care companies, golf courses and other nutrient handlers should not apply nutrients to the ground during the winter months, the Delaware Department of Agriculture says in a reminder.

More than 30 Delaware farmers have Christmas trees available for First State families this holiday season, with local firs, spruces and pines in abundance – and easy to find and buy with the Delaware Fresh mobile app and the Delaware Buy Local guide, de.gov/buylocal.

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.

Thirteen farms totaling more than 1,060 acres have been selected for permanent easements to add to the Delaware Farmland Preservation Program. Under the Markell administration, 304 farms totaling 27,700 acres have been preserved.

As Delawareans stock up their firewood supplies, state officials remind buyers and sellers that firewood must be sold and advertised only by cords. Under Delaware Code, firewood and stove wood must be advertised, offered for sale, and sold only by a cord measure or fractions of a cord or cubic meter. Selling firewood by truckload, rack, face cord or pile is not permitted under state law.

DOVER – Delaware authorities are urging poultry and bird owners to be vigilant in the wake of avian influenza cases reported in Oregon and Washington state. “Though it’s far away at the moment, we know that avian influenza can spread rapidly,” said Delaware State Veterinarian Dr. Heather Hirst, who heads the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s […]