With winter storm season now upon us, the Delaware Department of Agriculture reminds poultry and livestock growers to take proper precautions to shelter and protect their animals. "Preparedness is the key to keeping animals safe," said State Veterinarian Dr. Heather Hirst.

The Delaware Forest Service (DFS) is seeking trainees for its annual wildfire training classes at the Delaware State Fire School. No previous experience needed. Applicants should be over 18 years old, physically fit, motivated, and willing to travel for at least two weeks (usually during the summer) on out-of-state fire assignments. Interested candidates should contact Kyle Hoyd, DFS Wildland Fire Program Administrator at (302) 698-4548 or kyle.hoyd@state.de.us to register. The deadline to sign up is February 17, 2016.

Agricultural entrepreneurs who want to produce certain foods in their on-farm kitchens can receive food safety training and become certified under Delaware law at an upcoming workshop.

"Trees are Terrific...and Forests are Too!" That's the theme of the Delaware Forest Service's 2016 Arbor Day Poster Contest, which is open to all children in grades K to 5 in Delaware public, private, home, and charter schools. After-school programs and youth groups are also eligible. The deadline for poster submission is April 8, 2016. For more information, email contest coordinator Ashley Peebles at ashley.peebles@state.de.us or call 302-698-4551. Winners will receive a $25.00 gift card, a ceremonial tree planting held at the winner's school, and an invitation to the State Arbor Day Ceremony (attended by the Governor).

Organizations wanting to launch or expand an urban agriculture or community garden project to benefit their neighborhood can apply for new micro-grants from the Delaware Department of Agriculture.

Daniel J. Tartt, Jr. of Harrington was honored as Delaware's 2016 Tree Farmer of the Year at the Delaware Forestry Association's annual meeting in Felton. The Middletown FFA forestry team - comprised of students Alana Hodge, Lauren Berry, Brandon Dawson, Laura Melancon and their advisor Jeff Billings – was also recognized for representing Delaware and placing highly in the team and individual FFA forestry event at the 88th National FFA Convention and Expo in Louisville, KY. Silver Anniversary Tree Farmers Carl Solberg, George & Gladys Kirk, and David Hastings were honored for celebrating 25 years in the American Tree Farm System. On hand to present awards were Rep. David L. Wilson and Rep. Harvey Kenton. The event also celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the American Tree Farm System's founding in 1941. Delaware’s first Tree Farm was certified in 1959 and today there are over 200 Tree Farms covering more than 20,000 acres. Governor Markell delivered a video message (YouTube: https://youtu.be/7YIB5MqANbs ) to congratulate the Delaware Forestry Association and recognize the award winners for 2016.

With a record season behind them, Delaware's farmers' markets are gearing up for another great year. Twenty-three community-run farmers' markets will be opening over the next three months, selling Delaware produce and other farm-fresh goods.

Delaware beekeepers can now participate in a new online tool to help protect them from pesticides that may drift due to weather or wind.

More than $300,000 in federal grant funding is now available for projects to help produce, market or access Delaware-grown fruit, vegetables and certain other crops. The Delaware Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program through June 3.

The Delaware Forest Service’s 21st Annual Fire Camp will be held on Saturday, April 23, 2016 at Redden State Forest from 6:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. The intensive, one-day seminar is the capstone of the agency's wildfire training program to certify its emergency firefighters to meet National Wildfire Coordinating Group standards. In addition to completing an arduous "work capacity test" - which involves carrying a 45-pound pack over a three-mile course in less than 45 minutes - crew members will receive hands-on instruction in several key areas: wildfire suppression techniques, how weather affects fire behavior, crew mobilization and teamwork, water pump and chainsaw usage, and culminating with a “live” controlled burn fire situation.

A total of 15 municipalities, homeowner associations, and nonprofits will receive almost $40,000 for community tree projects from the Delaware Forest Service's 2016 Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program. The program's goal is to increase tree canopy, beautify community spaces, and promote the benefits of trees. In addition, the Delaware Forest Service also funded $10,799 in grants for tree planting projects within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, an effort to improve water quality by mitigating storm water run-off and reducing erosion and sedimentation.

Rain Vasey, a 5th-grader at Water Girl Farm Academy in Lincoln, is the winner of the 2016 Arbor Day School Poster Contest. The Delaware Forest Service sponsors the contest for Delaware schoolchildren in grades K to 5 for all public, private, home, and charter schools. The winners receive a tree planting at their school, a gift card, a tree-themed book, and an invitation for them and their family to attend the State Arbor Day event with Governor Markell on May 12

Governor Markell joined state officials and members of the General Assembly to honor the winners of the Delaware Forest Service's annual Arbor Day Poster Contest, recognize the City of Dover as the First State's longest-running Tree City USA, and honor Delmarva Power as a Tree Line USA utility and for its volunteer work in underwriting the cost of Arbor Day observances throughout the state.

More than 120,000 acres of Delaware farmland are now permanently preserved for future generations, state officials announced today, marking the 20th anniversary of the state's preservation program. With 17 farms on 2,245 acres entering the latest round of the program, the new milestone means that 24 percent of First State farmland is now preserved for perpetuity.

State officials hope a new addition at the Blackbird Forest Education Center in Townsend will become a "hive of activity" as its occupants get "busy as bees" teaching visitors about the natural environment, the valuable role bees play in crop pollination and honey production, and how forests and flowering tree species can contribute to bee health and well-being. “Trees for Bees” is the theme of the 10th “National Pollinator Week” (June 20-26, 2016). The 2016 theme highlights the many natural benefits that flowering native tree species such as tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), black willow (Salix nigra), northern catalpa (Catalpa speciosa), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), and maples (Acer spp.) can offer to foraging bees.

Middletown’s FFA Chapter won the 2016 Forestry Career Development Event (CDE) – a challenging test of tree identification skills, forestry knowledge, and math abilities – held this week at Brecknock Park in Camden. Middletown will go on to compete in the forestry event at the 89th National FFA Convention & Expo from Oct. 19 to 22, 2016 in Indianapolis, IN. The Milford FFA Chapter placed second and will go on to compete in the forestry competition at the Eastern States Exposition or “The Big E!,” scheduled to take place in Springfield, MA on September 17.

The Delaware Forest Service (DFS) has awarded $22,000 in grants to eight volunteer fire companies to purchase equipment to fight wildfires and improve their wildfire readiness and capabilities. In the past 10 years, the DFS has provided 122 grants totaling more than $288,000 to volunteer fire companies through its Volunteer Fire Assistance Grant Program, funded by the U.S. Forest Service.

Eleven Delaware urban farm and community garden projects are receiving support to grow and thrive through a new initiative designed to strengthen communities and improve nutrition.

The Delaware Forest Service is sending a 20-person team of wildland firefighters to the Rocky Mountain region for a scheduled two-week assignment to battle wildfires for the National Interagency Fire Center. The crew departed Blackbird State Forest this morning and is headed to Denver, Colorado to be “pre-positioned” for a specific assignment.

The Delaware Department of Agriculture has announced the winners of its 2016 Happy and Healthy Chickens Photo Contest, celebrating the best snapshots of Delaware backyard poultry flocks. The winner, chosen from a field of nearly 100 photographs, was Weston Williams, 11, of Felton, for his photo “Proud Stance.”

Delaware’s wildland fire crew is returning to the First State after successfully battling wildfires in Colorado and Wyoming. The Delaware Forest Service dispatched the firefighters to Colorado on July 25. Their first assignment was assisting Colorado’s Bureau of Land Management on the 492-acre Milk Fire near Craig, Colorado. Next, they were sent by the Rocky Mountain Geographic Area Coordination Center to the 1,287-acre Tokewanna Fire near Mountain View, Wyoming. Finally, on August 4, they were dispatched to the 12,276-acre Whit Fire, located east of Yellowstone National Park near Cody, Wyoming.

A destructive, invasive beetle that kills ash trees, the emerald ash borer (EAB), has been confirmed in Delaware, making it the 28th state to have found the insect. The statewide impact is expected to be minimal, as ash trees make up only around two percent of Delaware's tree stock and the state has been preparing for more than a decade. State forestry and plant health officials are providing advice to homeowners, municipalities and civic groups at de.gov/ashtrees.

Participants in Delaware's Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program can now use special coupons to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at 11 Delaware farmers' markets under a pilot program beginning this week.

West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis both spread by mosquitoes DOVER – 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 […]

Delaware is sending its second wildfire crew of the summer to the Great Basin region. Responding to a spike in wildfire activity in the West that has increased the National Fire Preparedness Level to 4 on a 5-point scale, Delaware has joined forces with neighboring Mid-Atlantic states (New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio) to dispatch five crews, a total of 100 firefighters, to battle fires in the Great Basin. The crews departed Harrisburg, PA for Salt Lake City on August 25. Delaware is now assigned to the Henry's Creek Fire near Idaho Falls, Idaho.

After two weeks of battling wildfires in the rugged terrain of Idaho, a Delaware wildfire crew is returning to Blackbird State Forest on September 11 at approximately 8 a.m. The team was dispatched by the Delaware Forest Service on August 25 at a time when the National Fire Preparedness Level was 4 on a 5-point scale. Over the past 14 days, the team battled the 52,972-acre Henry’s Creek Fire near Idaho Falls and the 1260-acre Grape Creek Fire, located 6 miles southwest of Elba, Idaho.

The 6th Annual Delaware Arborist and Tree Care Seminar will be November 2 and 3, 2016 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Delaware State University, 1200 N. DuPont Highway, Dover. Sponsored by the Delaware Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program, the seminar includes classroom lectures, hands-on training, and vendor exhibits offering the latest knowledge and best management practices on tree care, health, and tree worker safety. Continuing education credits for International Society of Arboriculture certification, Tree Care Industry Association and its Certified Tree Care Professional program, Delaware pesticide licensing, and Maryland Licensed Tree Expert certification will be offered. Major sponsors for the 2016 event include Delaware State University, Delmarva Power and Rainbow Scientific. Cost is $95 with lunch included both days.

Smokey Bear will be back in Delaware schools starting this October, visiting first-graders throughout the First State to remind children that "only you can prevent wildfires." The second week of October is National Fire Prevention Week, observed annually in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Smokey Bear has become one of the Delaware Forest Service's most successful educational programs. In the past two years, the DFS provided an average of 90 Smokey Bear fire education programs to about 8,250 students per year — representing almost 75% of the first-graders in the entire state. Created in 1944, the Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign is the longest-running public service advertising campaign in U.S. history.

The Delaware Invasive Species Council (DISC), a non-profit organization dedicated to limiting the introduction and spread of non-native and invasive plant and animal species, has adopted an election year theme for its annual meeting and conference on Oct. 19 at the Delaware Agricultural Museum in Dover (866 N. DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 19901). This year's conference agenda will explore the ways that land and natural resource managers, conservationists, and others that want their voices heard are keeping up with the fight on invasive species by voting them out! Registration opens at 8:30 am and the conference will kick off at 9:00 am. Lunch and an annual membership are included in the registration fee of $40.00.

Eight educational and research projects supporting Delaware crops will receive more than $300,000 in federal funding.

DOVER — Three Delaware families which have owned their farms for at least 100 years were honored as Century Farms on Tuesday. With the inductions Tuesday, there are now 133 Century Farms in Delaware, said Secretary of Agriculture Ed Kee. “Our children and grandchildren depend upon farm families such as these to ensure that we […]

Organizations wanting to launch or expand an urban agriculture or community garden project to benefit their neighborhood can apply for micro-grants from the Delaware Department of Agriculture.

Tickets and sponsorships for the 46th Annual Delaware Agricultural Industry Dinner on Jan. 19 are now available.

Delaware's new pollinator protection plan outlines strategies, best practices, techniques and resources that beekeepers, farmers, landowners and pesticide applicators can use to help protect and enhance bees and other pollinators.

Thirty Delaware farmers have fresh-cut and live Christmas trees available for First State families this holiday season, with local firs, spruces and pines in abundance - all easy to find at de.gov/christmastrees.

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 reminds applicators.

Dover-area poultry farmer Georgie Cartanza is the first American to receive a Nuffield International Scholarship, one of 90 farmers from around the world to participate in the global agricultural scholarship program.

With winter’s official start today, the Delaware Department of Agriculture reminds poultry and livestock growers to take proper precautions to shelter and protect their animals.

The Delaware Forest Service is now accepting applications for up to $40,000 in urban forestry grants for tree planting or tree management projects on public lands or community open space. Requests can range from $500 to $5,000 and must be matched on a 50-50 basis with non-federal funds or in-kind services (volunteer or staff time, equipment rental, etc.). The program is open to all municipalities, homeowner associations, and non-profit groups within the State of Delaware. In the past 10 years, the program has awarded more than $1 million to fund a wide range of tree projects throughout the First State.

Poultry farmers Ted Layton and Scott Willey have been recognized for their efforts to improve water quality and reduce nutrient runoff with the 2016 Delaware Environmental Stewardship Award.

Gov. Jack Markell has presented the Order of the First State to two noted Delaware agricultural leaders and public servants, Bob Garey of Felton and Bill Vanderwende of Bridgeville.

Brothers Keith and Richard Carlisle, who have been farming near Greenwood since the 1960s, were jointly honored for their service and contributions Thursday evening, presented with the Secretary's Award for Distinguished Service to Delaware Agriculture.

  DOVER – Delaware cat owners are being advised to make certain that their pets’ vaccinations are up to date to protect against disease after three cases of feline distemper, also called feline panleukopenia, were recently reported by a Dover-area veterinary clinic. The three reported cases occurred in two six-month-old kittens and one adult cat. […]

Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Michael T. Scuse today announced the appointment of Austin Short and Kenny Bounds as deputy secretaries of agriculture.

The Delaware Forest Service is closing a picnic pavilion and adjacent parking lot at Redden State Forest due to persistent criminal activity at the site, located on the Jester Tract at Camp Road and Redden Road north of Georgetown, Sussex County. Designed by Delaware’s first state forester William S. Taber and constructed by conservation work crews in 1936, the rustic pavilion has now become a magnet for lewd conduct, drugs, and other offenses that have occasionally startled and kept away other visitors. While agency officials have no specific timetable for reopening, they plan to use the closure period for renovations and security upgrades that could again allow for public access at the site.

The Delaware Forest Service is seeking entries for its annual Arbor Day Poster Contest, open to students in grades K to 5 from all public, private, homeschool, afterschool, and other organized youth groups. Winning posters will be selected from each of the three counties in the following grade categories: Kindergarten, Grades 1 and 2, Grades 3 and 4, and Grade 5. The twelve winners will be recognized at the annual Statewide Arbor Day Celebration hosted by Governor Carney in Dover. A tree planting ceremony will be scheduled at each winner’s school and the teacher receives a $50 gift card for classroom supplies. The deadline to register is March 15 with poster submissions due by March 31.

The Delaware Forest Service (DFS) is offering up to $4,500 in grants to help fire companies in the First State improve their readiness and ability to fight wildfires. The deadline is May 1 and the form is available on-line. Funded by the U.S. Forest Service, the Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) program has provided more than 120 grants worth almost $300,000 to Delaware volunteer fire companies over the past 10 years. All grants require a 50-50 cost-share match and priority will be given to applicants that have not received funding in the past three years.

Delawareans still value local foods and farm-fresh products as demonstrated by a strong 2016 farmers' market season with over $2.9 million dollars in direct sales, the Delaware Department of Agriculture announced today.

Fruit and vegetable growers who want to learn about produce safety, Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), developing food safety plans and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule are encouraged to attend several upcoming workshops. On March 16 and 17, the “Delaware FSMA Produce Safety Alliance Training, Produce Food Safety Updates, and Food Safety Plan Writing Workshop” will be held at the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington. The workshop will be from 8 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. Lunch will be provided and registration is free, courtesy of the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant and the Delaware Department of Agriculture.

Agricultural entrepreneurs who want to produce certain foods in their on-farm kitchens can receive food safety training and become certified under Delaware law at an upcoming workshop jointly sponsored by the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension and the Delaware Department of Agriculture. The eight-hour “Food Safety for Entrepreneurs” program presented by Dr. Sue Snider of the University of Delaware will take place Saturday, March 25, at the Delaware Department of Agriculture, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.