Final Field Trip – UD’s Newark Farm

The final field trip for Plant Science 167 was to the University of Delaware’s research farm in Newark where we met with Farm Superintendent Scott Hopkins who gave us a tour of all the different factions of the research farm. First, we boarded the bus at Townsend hall and got an introduction on Scott and what it means to be a farm superintendent. We then drove past Fisher Greenhouse and Allen lab which is a bio-security level 3 and is where researchers perform experiments on poultry diseases and other viruses. After the lab was the wetlands that weave through the entire farm and provide a study area for students in the wildlife ecology and resource management programs. Mr. Hopkins explained that maintaining the wetlands is a constant battle because the stream drains all the runoff from Newark and brings invasive species of weeds into the marsh. After the wetlands is the apiary containing anywhere from 800,000 to 1.2 million bees that raise honey to be sold in the creamery and help study colony collapse and pollination. There’s also a study on rice patties located near the apiary and the chicken houses. At the beef, sheep, and equine farm we were educated on the buildings used to study the horses, how compost is managed on the farm, how the sheep are used to educate students, and forages used to feed the animals. We then got back on the bus and went to the dairy farm where Scott showed us the milking parlor, forage study barn, and explained the different genetics of dairy cows and answered any questions we had.

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