Category Archives: Ag Business

Ag Business

Fifer Orchards Field Trip

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When visiting Fifer’s Orchards on the field trip, I was very interested in the types of products they grew to meet consumer demand. One of their popular items is the sweet corn, strawberries, and tomatoes. The reason being for this is that, “Florida’s “winter” is too hot to grow corn whereas here in Delaware during this time is harvest season.” Thus making Fifer Orchards a lot of money earned because the individuals in Florida are willing to buy the product which makes the product move up and down the east coast. This is important to show that the food grown does indeed travel a decent way to get to the consumers to enjoy throughout the states.

Additionally, he mentioned that there is diversity in the plants that are grown in the fields such as cauliflower. Customers can make special requests for a particular product to be grown. In this case, consumers have asked for a variety of colors from cauliflower such as orange, purple, and green. I’d also like to make a note of the raised plasticulture rows the strawberries were planted in have many advantages to this type of growing. For instance, the plastic heats up from the sun, keeps the plant from being drowned by water, and has better frost control with the water being provided through the tubing with small holes. I like learning about the different way some food products are being handled and how they are grown versus other growing techniques. Mr. Fifer also made a note that the plasticulture is great for management due to great pest control. Having the water on top instead of underneath allows water to be utilized better than wasted. Also, this keeps the foliage dry better because the plants typically enjoy water but not being showered in it.

At the end of the field trip, I explored the shops and purchased a very big pumpkin, an apple pie, apple pie cider, and apple cider donuts. I loved how the goodies smelled and enjoyed the donuts with cider at home with my family later that day.

NOTE: Mark/Michele, I originally blogged this on September 26th incorrectly. (before this specific blog deadline) Will I still receive full credit?

Ag Business, Farmers Markets, Field Trips-Tours, Fruits

Fifer Orchards farm

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At September twenty-third, 2017, we went to the Fifer Orchards farm, which is located in Camden Wyoming, DE, one hour drive from the University of Delaware. It is a family farm and the fourth generation. What is more, It is the season of apples and pumpkins. We went to the apple picking area where tourist also can go to pick up apples by themselves.  The field, next to it, is a huge area of the strawberry field. In the past, I thought the way to water them is rotating sprinklers on pipes. What I saw in the field is drip irrigation. Pipes are put inside of the soil and the soil is covered by black plastic materials. Drip irrigation is a slow process to provide water and fertilizer to plant roots. Because it is on the inside of the soil, it does well on keeping the perfect moisture and keeping the plant surface dry which saves water resource and reduces disease and pest problems.

Since they plant the variety of vegetable and fruit in different time of the seasons, there must be a most profitable one, which is the sweet corn. When we think about farm markets, we may think there may be a competition between the weekly farmer markets located across the state and the Fifer Orchards farm, but the fact is the Fifer Orchards farm sell products to them. In the end, we arrived their market shopping area. All kinds of delicious apples and pretty pumpkins. I am really glad I got the chance to visit here with my professors and classmates.

Ag Business, Farmers Markets, Field Trips-Tours, Production Agriculture, Vegetables

Getting to The Core of The Orchard Industry

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This weekend was the second field trip of the semester! Fall is just getting started, and I couldn’t have picked a better place to go: an apple orchard! Fifers Orchard is a 4th generation, family-run farm in Camden-Wyoming, Delaware, and we were lucky enough to get a behind-the-scenes look at the entire operation.The tour was given by Bobby Fifer, and started at the heart of the business: the farm. We were able to see a portion of the land where they grow and harvest their fresh produce. With nearly 3,000 acres of farmland they grow many different crops, including kale, cauliflower, strawberries and of course apples! We learned that they grow cauliflower of unusual colors, including purple and orange, as well as over 20 different varieties of apples. But by far, their biggest money-maker is sweet corn; Fifer’s supplies corn to the entire east coast, and nearly every state east of the Mississippi! After seeing the farm, we were taken to the packaging and distribution center. We learned about some of the technology that is used for sorting fruits, tomatoes, and peaches, and talked with Curt Fifer, Bobby’s brother and the man behind the shipments/sales. After talking with us about some of the challenges that can be encountered during the shipping process we were taken to their brick and mortar store and introduced to their cousin, Michael. We discussed the marketing side of the business and their CSA program. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and it’s like a weekly subscription to fresh produce. Every week you receive a box of various fruits and vegetables that are currently in season, straight from the farm. CSAs are one of their most reliable ways of making sales, as well as great opportunities for advertisement and getting people to eat fresh.

At the end of the day we raided the store for all sorts of goodies – delicious baked goods, fresh ciders, and much, much more. Everyone went home with their hands full and pockets empty from this one-of-a-kind field trip.

Ag Business, Agriculture Careers, Agritourism, Farmers Markets, Field Trips-Tours

Produce: From Delaware to Florida

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September 23rd, “Understanding Today’s Agriculture” Class enjoyed a field trip to Fifer’s Orchard in Camden-Wyoming, Delaware. This fourth-generation family farm tills 2,800 acres, producing a variety of produce and field crops. They have 160 people on payroll, benefitting the area with jobs.

On our field trip we were able to see a field with a variety of cauliflower and kale as well as Apple Trees. On the farm they also have high tunnel, which is where they grow tomatoes, start to finish. Growing tomatoes in high tunnel, allowed for a controlled environment. It was really interesting to not only see a center pivot irrigation system in the grains fields, but they also have a drip irrigation system for other products. They also have a store, where they can sell to local consumers. Every Saturday until Halloween, they have a Fall Fest on Saturday’s, be sure to check out their social media and join the numerous activities and venders.

Without today’s technology Fifers Orchard would not be able to have grown as they have today. They are thankful for the science and technology they have available to keep their business running. They are looking forward to what the future has to offer. Yet, they face a challenge with labor-intensive jobs. Most of their produce is hand picked and packaged.

Fifer’s Orchard works with a Community Supported Agriculture club (CSA) that provides a variety of produce weekly to locations throughout Delaware. They also sell locally at their country store, to schools and to restaurants. Not only does their produce travel locally, it travels all the way to Florida because it is too hot in the summer for Florida to grow produce, we supply Southern States with produce and in the winter they provide us with produce.

Be sure to check Fifer’s out located in Camden-Wyoming Delaware.

Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/fiferorchards/

Ag Business, Agritourism, Farmers Markets, Field Trips-Tours, Fruits, Vegetables

Fifer Orchards Visit

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Fifer Orchards is a local farm and country store located in Camden-Wyoming, DE.  Tilling over 2800 acres Fifers produces a diverse amount of crops along with their biggest profit sweet corn. This past summer I was fortunate enough to work at Fifer Orchards and after the field trip I gained even more respect for the farm and the things they do to benefit the community and the agriculture industry. Throughout the field trip we were taken to several fields and shown many different crops, one of the most interesting was kale which is hand harvested. We were then given a tour of the packing house and cooler and shown the behind the scenes that goes into getting Fifer Orchards produce out to the public. We were lucky enough to visit on the first day of the fall fest so it was a busy Saturday for the Fifer Orchards staff. The farm puts on many events for the community throughout the year such as the strawberry festival, customer appreciation day and the fall fest. Apple cider slushes couldn’t be handed out fast enough to the customers. After working at Fifers over the summer and the field trip I have really seen the hard work that goes into the family business and how hard the family strives to serve the community.

Ag Business, Agritourism, Fruits, Vegetables

Fifer Orchards

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Fifer Orchards is an amazing family owned 2800 acre farm. The farm is an amazing example of Delaware Agriculture. Fifer Orchards is a community based orchard that focuses it’s attention on involvement, education, and community supported agriculture (CSA). The farm grows produce such as sweet corn, cauliflower, kale, apples, strawberries, and tomatoes. They also have a wonderful market in which they sell pies, baked goods, and jams. We visited Fifer Orchards on their first Fall Fest day of 2017-2018. They had a band, food trucks, and bouncy houses for the community to come spend time and learn about where their food is grown. It was amazing to see the technology they utilize to produce incredible yields. Fifer uses hand labor, but they also use machines to do a variety of tasks such as planting beds and laying plastic for next years strawberry crops. They use specialized plastic for their high tunnels that reject red UV light to keep the temperatures cool. Their watering systems vary on the crop in which they are placed, but they use pivot irrigation systems or drip. They annually employ over 160 people! Seeing the diversity and the variety of techniques they use to maintain a successful business was very inspirational! Their family business is truly amazing, and contributes to Delaware’s community!

Ag Business, Agritourism, Field Trips-Tours, Fruits

Fifer’s Orchard Field Trip Adventure

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On the 23rd of September, we went to have a tour of Fifer Orchards located in Camden-Wyoming, Delaware. This +2,500 acre farm is a fourth generation family run farm. Bobby Fifer gave us a tour of the farm along with going out in the fields to look at the  different types of irrigation systems they have in the fields ( center pivot irrigation and drip irrigation) As well as being showed the fields and where the fruit and produce was being grown we got a chance to look in the packaging and distribution center and how each of the items is processed to enter our local stores and businesses. One extremely interesting thing that I found out while on the farm was that the orchard ships all up and down the east coast and east of the Mississippi River! This is beyond incredible especially for us being such a small state.  Another thing that I found to be interesting was that there is a program called the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) this is where the farm puts together pre-paid boxes of produce and have drop-off locations for families to pick up produce. This is more effective that farmers market because there is little to no product waste. Whereas at farmers markets you can run out of produce and make the customer upset or you can bring to much of a certain product and then have leftovers which would have to be thrown away. Fifer’s Orchard always has events and activities going on each weekend. This week was the kick off to their fall fest and there were so many games for kids and vendors for shopping. They also had their shop open which had the BEST Apple CIder Slushies! This was by far one of my favorite field trips and will definitely be visiting them soon again

Ag Business, Agritourism, Production Agriculture

Fifer’s!

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Although I was not able to attend this field trip, it sounded like a lot of fun from what my friends told me. I also did a little research on Fifer’s orchard while I had a moment. I think the most interesting part is the CSA as we were talking about them with Professor Jenkins in my ENGL230 class. I think it is amazing that they can grow so much fresh food and then send it to those who have signed up for it. I am now considering going one or growing my own garden once I go back home since learning more about the CSA program.

Ag Business, Poultry

Organic Poultry Farm Tour

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One of the four chicken houses on Georgie Cartanza’s family farm.

Georgie Cartanza has been growing organic chickens for eleven years, but organic wasn’t always the direction she planned to go. Before Mrs. Cartanza’s transition into the organic poultry she worked for Perdue growing roasters. Chickens that are termed “roasters” will eventually be sold for their meat. Over the years the consumer market for chickens has changed dramatically. Requirements for growing organic chickens are a lot stricter including: certified feed and soil, access to the outdoors and enhancements to keep the chickens entertained. Georgie, being extremely passionate about what she does, felt like the benefits would outweigh the risk and went ahead and made the switch. On the farm there were four houses 65’ wide by 600’ long. Georgie produces about 5,000,000 pounds of organic meat per year, which approximately feeds 59,808 people per year. Our society has such a concrete image of how they think chickens are produced and if more people had the opportunity to see how technologically advanced and modern our agricultural industry has become I think it would be valuable to everyone involved with the chicken industry. My interest in poultry has grown during my time here at the University of Delaware and this experience at Georgie’s family farm has intensified the interest I have.

Ag Business, Field Trips-Tours, Poultry

An Egg-cellent Field Trip

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On September 9th, the class took an exciting trip to Miss Georgie Cartanza’s poultry farm! After working in the poultry industry for nearly 20 years, with eleven years owning her own poultry farm, she had a wealth of knowledge to share with us. She owns four different chicken houses, with about 37,000 chickens in each house (almost 150,000 total chickens!)! On top of that, there is only one other worker who occasionally helps with the farm operations, so she’s raising that many chickens practically on her own!

Luckily the chicken houses are top-of-the-line, with an assortment of computers, machines, and equipment that makes her life much easier. Nowadays, almost everything is automated: there are computer systems to regulate the temperature, humidity, food, water, and practically everything else you could imagine within the house! This allows her to check in on her chickens from anywhere via her smart phone, and helps diagnose any potential problems there may be. We were lucky enough to get a tour of one of the chicken houses so we could get a firsthand look at the computers, feed systems, and a whole lot of chickens.

One thing that I found most fascinating was the inside of the chicken houses. I always imagined a chicken house would be loud with the clucking of the chickens, flapping of wings, and movement of equipment; and most of all I was expecting it to be smelly. But it was honestly the opposite! The chickens were very relaxed, it was surprisingly quiet (almost peaceful), and the airflow provided by the large fans made it so the smell was not an issue!

Ms. Cartanza ended the tour with some words of wisdom about the real world: being a good worker, having good communication skills, and always keeping a positive attitude will get you far in life!

Ag Business, Topics for Discussion

Thinking about the TTP

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The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), we have all heard so much about it in this election cycle, but most people don’t know what it truly entails.  It is an agreement among 12 nations that have an attachment to the Pacific Ocean, however, this does not include the major export hub of China. Nothing is official yet with this agreement yet people are ardently in either support for or against it.

There is an awful lot to talk about what is in this agreement and in my humble opinion I do not have much knowledge of multinational trade deals so I will try and interpret what I can and give some of my opinions. From a human rights standpoint, this agreement would be good since it outlaws child labor. It also offers minimum wages, benefits, and worker safety programs. I think those are great things and I can’t believe that child labor is still allowed in countries. However, I have also discovered something that the critics of it have also pointed out: if a country decides to try and change policy to help favor their our nation it could give the major corporations the right to sue them. I am afraid that this might give big businesses too much power.

I think that the TPP has its flaws, but also has some pretty good benefits as well. With our near-future U.S. administration being anti-TPP as a platform I have serious doubts about the TPP actually happening, but I have faith that an agreement could be made in the future that will carry some of the positives from the agreement in the future. I recommend trying to learn as much as you, the reader, can about it and making your own well-informed decision.

Ag Business, Equipment & Engineering

Hoobers Field Trip

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On our third field trip to Hoobers we were able to see how and why precision Ag is is used. Hoobers sells precision Ag equipment from trackers to yield generating systems. During the field trip we where shown how drones are being implemented for recording data in crops with the use of semi infrared cameras which may play a huge roll in Ag in the future. We also had the chance to drive a tractor and see how a GPS is used to plant crops and increase the crop yield for farmers. While driving the tractor we where shown how the computer system can drive the tractor on its own as well. The trip was very informative and I found it very interesting on how the use of drones is now being used in Ag.

Ag Business, Field Trips-Tours, Livestock

Newark Farm Trip

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The last field trip from our Delaware Agriculture class was the tour of the 350 acre Newark farm.  This was by far the most interesting and exciting trip we have been on and I truly enjoyed it.  We explored all of the different animals and research experiments on the farm and learned a great deal about them.  It was explained to us that the horses are the most challenging animal to take care of on the farm simply because they are very temperamental.  Also, a great challenge to keep the farm running smoothly is the constant maintaining of the land and its resources.  Resource rich farm lands are rapidly being sold off to developers and it is a constant struggle to keep our farm lands safe and resource rich.  As a fight against this increasing loss of farm lands, University of Delaware has recently implemented a variety of research experiments dealing with entomology and wildlife conservation.  New and exciting research is being conducted every day at the Newark farm to ensure the growth of many species, such as honey bees.  One of the most interesting aspects of the Newark farm trip was when we took a tour of the farms milk pasteurizing center, I had never seen or been in a room set up for milking before and it was quite the experience.  I am very happy to have taken a tour of the blue hen farm and I’m very excited to be up there participating in new research experiments next year!

Ag Business, Agriculture Careers

Georgie’s Organic Poultry Farm

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The trip to Georgie’s organic chicken farm was one of my favorite field trips from this class. I had never been to a poultry farm before and being on her farm and seeing her operation exposed me to some of the experiences of an American family farmer.  Although Georgie owns a small family farm, there are still a lot challenges to overcome to be a profitable business.  Some of the biggest challenges to running a poultry farm are the manual labor needed to run the day to day operations as well as the overhead cost of electricity to run the chicken houses. Also, another big cost to running a farm is keeping up with the regulations and technology requirements for both mountaire and the state of Delaware.  To help with daily regulations of the chicken houses, Georgie has a high tech main control center that controls the temperature, humidity, ventilation, and the food and water supply for all three of her houses.  There are, as well, requirements to become an organic chicken farmer.  Before getting your organic business license your farm soils must be tested rigorously for three years straight to ensure that there are no harmful chemicals in the ground.  Another requirement to becoming an organic farm is the installation of windows in your chicken houses as well as doors for the chickens to be able to go outside as they please, making them free range chickens.  Overall, I really enjoyed learning about the organic poultry industry on Georgie’s farm and am very grateful of her hospitality and kindness.

Ag Business, Agriculture Careers, Equine/Horse

Mark Davis and the equine industry

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Mark Davis is currently Delaware’s Executive Director of the Harness Racing Commission. However, he didn’t start out his career here, but studied marine biology for a while before graduating with a degree in environmental science. He worked for a time as an environmental consultant and got involved with the Department of Ag in Delaware as a land use planner. He traded hats a few more times before landing his current job with the Harness Racing Commission.

Mr. Davis discussed with the class the many different aspects of the racing industry, which I myself knew very little about. He discussed the history, components, regulations, as well as the impact of the industry-which monetarily adds up to around $39 billion to the U.S. each year. He explained that the Delaware state vet isn’t typically involved with the racing industry unless there is a disease issue, instead there are vets at the track and the paddock. The vets at the track are there to watch the races and monitor the horses for lameness, to see that the whipping regulations are upheld and to do welt checks. At the paddock the vets have a slightly different purpose, that is to do lots of test to make sure the horses are in tip-top shape, like blood tests, heart rate checks and to check on joints. The upcoming challenges Mr. Davis sees for the industry is the government resting on the casinos too much without turn around to help the industry as well as the shrinking field.