Tracy Wootten and Valann Budischak guest lectured about Delaware’s Green Industry. The green industry includes producers, retailers, landscapers, land managers, golf courses, and equipment suppliers. In 2014 the horticultural product sales was $21 million just in Delaware. Nursery entails the growing of the plants, be it annuals in containers, B & B trees and shrubs, or anything in between. Floriculture crops are cut or potted flowers and garden plants. Nursery crops are evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs. Together, these have a total of $13.8 billion in sales in the US. The retailers are the people who sell the plants after they are grown. This includes big box stores and local plant nurseries. Landscapers have a wide variety of tasks they might do, and what services they have will depend on the specific company. Some things that landscapers do are building, designing, and maintaining landscapes, mowing, fertilization, hardscaping, lighting, irrigation, and tree health to name a few. Land managers take care of public lands, roadsides, and state parks. I did not realize the importance of keeping plants away from railroad tracks, as there is a decent fire hazard if dry plants are too close. I found that pretty interesting.
Category Archives: Ag Business
Horticulture/Green Industry Guest Lecture
Prior to this guest lecture I had never realized that Delaware had a pretty large sized horticulture industry. The fact that there is almost twenty-two million dollars worth of product sales, really surprised me. I had not thought about how much really goes into the green industry and the different techniques that are used to grow these plants as well as possible and make it as profitable as possible. I also did not realize how much hard work actually goes into the production of these plants. It was also cool to be able to talk about different aspects of the green industry that aren’t just about growing flowers and plants to be sold. Land maintenance and beautification are also a huge part of the green industry. Overall I really enjoyed this lecture and Mrs. Wootten and Mrs. Budischak were extremely easy to listen to and kept the lecture interesting and intriguing.
Fifer Orchards
On September 28, 2019 the class took a field trip to Fifer Orchards at the very beginning of the farms Fall Fest‘commemorating it’s 100th year. This trip would commence very differently than the last one, with the majority of the tour spent on the bus. We would ride around to various fields before visiting the sorting and packing area, taking our obligatory class picture, and finally checking out the farm’s country store.
Our host, Mr. ‘Bobby’ FIFER met us in the parking lot before climbing aboard the bus. He began the tour by giving the class a cit of backstory on himself and the farm. Mr. FIFER was a Virginia Tech graduate who continued to work at the farm after college with his two other brothers and cousin for the past 15 years. Together they encompass the fourth generation of the families now 3000acre farm. Mr. FIFER stated the family once owned more land after they moved from Rehoboth to Dover in 1904 after the drowning of a child, but those Milford and Magnolia parcels were either sold or lost to time. The third generation, made up of Mr. FIFER’s father, now in his 80’s, and Mr. FIFER’s Aunt remain active with the help of two or three female staff members working in public relations. Every family member has their own role to fill n the farm and no one is vying for the other’s job.
Mr. FIFER notes that each family member does what he or she is best-suited for and comfortable with. Mr. FIFER really enjoys working amongst the people and being at the front of the farms public brand. His brother, Mr. Kirk FIFER, worked for Sargenta right out of college in the 1990s, so he handles a lot of the sales- ‘whether a consumer wants 10 or 10, 000 case of product’, as well as wholesale to Walmart. Mr. Michael FIFER, the cousin, handles the public relations angle of the business, handling retail in Dewey Beach and Dover, booking entertainment, and coordinating ‘Fall Fest’. Another, older brother, prefers to work behind-the-scenes, out int he fields, in a harvester, or just doing maintenance.
No matter the role, there is always plenty for any one member to do because Fifer’s is a very diversified farm. At the start of the growing season, they are packing fruit, off-season asparagus (a fern and early spring crop that stores energy in it’s roots), and one of their most profitable crops per acre, tomatoes. Strawberries often complete for the most profitable crop per acre, but overall, corn and pumpkins generate the most money. Surprisingly, the tree fruit for which the orchard is known, has the lowest profit per acre, because Delaware’s warmer temperatures and humidity is not really conducive to growing the best peaches or apples. Peaches are prone to get stink bugs, scab, brown bacteria, leaf rot, and scale, with apples fairing a little better, subject to fire bight, wart, black rot, as well as scab, scale, and nutrition deficiency. Both crops are subject to daily pest struggles and require different pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides to stay viable. The harvest season runs from April to December, and also includes kale, broccoli, cauliflower, beans(in rotation with corn), and sweet potatoes. Most of the crops are sold locally, though the corn may be shipped as far a s New Mexico, Walston (PA?), Miami, Mississippi, and Colorado.
The high temperatures and humidity create the constant threat of disease, making it very difficult to grow anything organically in this state, so Fifer’s is not an organic farm. Mr. FIFER says it’s not worth the ‘headache’ to try and it’s too time-consuming.
Despite the high level of Inputs required for conventional production, Fifer’s has a reliable way to manage their equally high levels of output. They farm utilizes mechanical harvesting for it’s sweet potatoes and corn, along with other harvesters and mowers. Other crops that require hand labor is often supplied by immigrants through the H2A Program, which supplies guest workers on Federal visas to harvest and pack produce. The Fifer’s must pay for the workers living expenses, providing housing, laundry, rides to Walmart and work, as well as $1, 400 per month for the employees to go to an from Mexico from September 1 to November 1. It’s is a great expense, but Mr. FIFER asserts that working through the government program means they only need about 70 people versus the 100 domestic workers they once hired, even as the farm has grown and expanded.
To facilitate this growth, Fifer’s has employed a variety of different growing methods, such as double cropping, or growing 2 crops in one year, cover cropping, and reduced tillage. They have also employed the use of ‘protected agriculture’, implementing hi-tunnels with measurable success. Mr. FIFER stated that the practice is easier in New York and Vermont, but in New Jersey, E. PA, and further southward it’s ‘impossible’. Hi-tunnels were utilized to extend the growing season and sell on the ”shoulder season’. Cultivars like strawberries and raspberries were grow first, but tomatoes were the ones that proved most lucrative. The Fifer’s could produce 2-3× the yield in tomatoes when no other local farm has them well into the month of December- but from November into December consumers are often thinking of squash and kale and other ‘fall foods.’ Hi- tunnels are most cost effective than a greenhouse for the Fifer’s as their expense is based on length- they only cost $10, 000-$40/50, 000 per acre. They are a big deal in other states like PA, Maryland, & Virginia. The only caveat is the tunnel cultivar must be rotated and the physical structure moved, or the land it sits on must be fumigated, i.e., the soil must be injected with chemicals to kill and sterilize it of everything- which is an added cost.
Additional growing methods like raised beds and bed covers are used for weed and pest management, as well as on-farm experiments. Raised beds can prevent the wetting of leaves, which promotes bacterial growth. Mr. FIFER spoke of his efforts using plastic bedcovers, namely with strawberries, to keep the soil warm and prohibit weed growth as well. Mr. FIFER said he intended to try alternating between black and white plastic on different rows to stagger the crops soil heat absorption by a few degrees and extend the harvest season with equally ripe berries. The bedcovers, used in tandem with 0.9-1.2oz. re-used row-covers, can be used to retain heat and trick the plants into, ‘thinking they’re in NC’- Delaware strawberries are planted the 1st-3rd week of September, but NC strawberries are planted well into October, with a harvest by the end of April or early May.
To maintain soil health, the Fifer’s plant oats, whose roots grow up to 1ft. long and absorb and excess nutrients and prevent soil erosion. They may also plant, ‘Tillage Radishes’ that aerate the soil by breaking up the hardpan and create mulch to increase the soil’s organic matter. The Agricultural Stabilization & Conservation Service(ASCS) will pay farmers for planting cover crops, which is particularly important for sandy soil.
One off the most important aspects of farming that Mr. FIFER covers, was the orchards extensive use of different irrigation techniques. Citing Mr. James ADKINS and his expertise on irrigation, Mr. FIFER stated the farm uses 600-12–gal per min wells to power their system of Drip Irrigation, Underground Drip Irrigation, Linear and Center Pivot Irrigation, and Hard-Hose Irrigation. Drip irrigation was displayed on the surface of the peach orchard and used because the farmers experience less of a problem from rodents, groundhogs, and foxes gnawing the lines than they would with an underground system. To run the drip irrigation, the water source must be free of iron and scale, or the hoes nozzles will become plugged, so clarification and filtering are used. With the linear and center pivot irrigation, seen in a field of Kohlrabi, cauliflower, and collards, the system works with automatic pressure release valves and is positioned on plastic wheels that, while more costly, don’t go flat and bolt onto the hub. The hard-hose irrigation system must be hooked to a well, unspooled with a tractor for 200ft and then dragged and relocated, unhooked, and re-hooked to different hydrants along tramlines.
Another aspect, pest management, was covered throughout the tour. One method discussed was airblast and airplane spraying, which requires highly trained trick flyers who can maneuver at low altitudes and often train more than commercial pilots. Aerial spraying can be used to manage weeds, but vigilance by those who work in the fields is needed as well. Prof. ISAACS showed us a ‘Velvet Leaf’ or ‘Elephant Ear’, an example of a weed that when not handled properly and treated quickly, can result in a long-lasting problem- the plant contains large seed pods with up to 50 seeds that can go dormant for up to 50 years. Another method was a deer management strategy in which the Fifer’s allow a set group of hunters to come in and kill deer for free at no liability to them under the State Quality Deer Management Program. Mr. FIFER stated the greatest pest statewide would undoubtedly be the four-legged, white-tail deer- a herd can eat 30 acres of soybeans and 20acres of strawberries.
Additional challenges would be the paperwork and documentation that goes into processing. Every product must be labelled with a GN and LOT# for distribution. The Fifer’s must pay $10, 000 for an audit, flying an inspector in from Idaho. There are also additional expenses that must be covered for any new or changing government regulations- Mr. FIFIER stated that the family would often look for loopholes to avoid the intense scrutiny increasing regulations can bring. Also, without a properly established market for their cultivars, like the Kohlrabi, the plants are just wasted space and must be tilled under to make way for a different crop next season.
One topic that has seemingly become the subject of every class discussion at some point is the sighting and eventual spread of the Spotted Lantern Fly. Mr. FIFER said that although the invasive insect had found it’s way to Sussex County from Pennsylvania, they had yet to see the pest on their property, but as Prof. ISAACS reminded us, according to the rules of the Department of Agriculture it is up to the farmer to treat any known threats.
Overall, I enjoyed the trip. I would definitely like to come back to Fifer’s for the events as well as the interesting foods in the store that I didn’t get to try or purchase. I was told there was boar, bear, and alligator jerky, and I saw a large selection of jams and jellies with inventive flavors I’d love to sample, but would have no clue how to use.
Biotechnology in Agriculture
Biotechnology serves a huge purpose in todays agricultural firm. The basics is that people are genetically modifying crops and animals to produce more for the human world. These people make slight modifications to genes which makes them better for us and the producers.
I was surprised to see how long ago people were using biotechnology in agriculture. They started using it in 1966. They adopted this technique to yield increase, save energy, and to have better pest control. Some people may like to stay organic but overall I feel that GMO’s are beneficial for everyone.
EC Gene Editing
Gene editing is one of today’s biggest industries in agriculture. People have been wanting to know exactly how the gene editing is used because of course, people want to know what they are putting in their bodies.
So what is gene editing? “A METHOD OF SELECTIVE BREEDING THAT MAKES PRECISE, INTENTIONAL AND BENEFICIAL CHANGES IN THE GENETIC MATERIAL OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS USED IN FOOD PRODUCTION, WHICH CAN IMPROVE HEALTH, NUTRITION AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP.”
One thing that I was surprised to read about was that feeding the world is on the bottom of the gene editing priority list. I thought that would have been more towards the top.
There are many ways to edit genes. Another important one is CRISPR. CRISPR is a more precise way to edit the genetic code. To sum up this blog post, this article was very fascinating in the ways that people genetically modify our food source and could be very beneficial to our world in the future.
Guest Speakers Tracy Wootten & Valaan Budishack: “Delawares Green Industry”
“Delaware’s Green industry is a big industry, but it’s not just plants” (Valaan Budishack). Tracy Wooten a horticulture specialist at the Delaware Technical Community College and Valaan Budishack, acting director of the botanical gardens of the University of Delaware, discussed with the University of Delaware’s students about the horticulture industry, how the plants are grown, careers within it, and what each of those careers entail. The horticulture industry, unlike many major plant production industries, is the cultivation, processing, and sale of fruits, nuts, vegetables, and ornamental plants as well as many additional services where plants are grown in nurseries and later sold to the customer or retail businesses for public purchase. Retail businesses, like many other consumer goods businesses, provide small quantities of plants or other goods in the desire of the customer through their development of advertising techniques, specialty plant lines, and other methods. Additionally, with the aspect of sales of plants, the creation of many other careers is associated with it.
Within this industry, there are producers which are the growers of the plants, landscapers, one that designs and cultivates properties for those who want to improve the look of their property or need help in sustaining and maintaining it, land managers, which “prevent environmental damage and harm to wildlife through careful management of the development and use of a region’s land resources” (Wikipedia), golf courses, and lastly suppliers, who provide the essential equipment such as fertilizer and other resources to help contribute to the success of the industry as well as those growing plants on their own. Essentially, with the many careers and growth of plants, the horticulture industry is able to continue to grow and sell plants as well as keep jobs within it which allows the industry to further continue to contribute to the sustainability of the economy and agricultural industry and in the sustainment of the beauty of the environment locally and worldwide.
Additionally, from this presentation, many things about the horticulture industry can be learned which can help myself and the other students develop a better understanding of the industry itself; and learn something that grabbed my interest which is that there is a lot of technical thinking and processes to grow plants, get them to the market, and sell the plants in a way that will attract the consumer to buy so the industry can continue to grow, market, and sell plants today and within future time.
Hoober Equipment Field Trip
Hoober Equipment began its business in 1941 in Intercourse, Pennsylvania. Currently, they are a third generation family business with locations in throughout Delmarva, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Hoober carries agriculture equipment from many companies, especially Case IH, Kubota, and JCB. The responsibilities that the Hoober team have are quite extensive and are not taken lightly for each employee knows that the quality of their repairs and products impact their reputation heavily. They definitely uphold their core values of integrity, teamwork and service.
Their advanced precision agriculture technology is impressive to say the least. When we were informed of the 250 thousand to well over 400 thousand dollar price of the machinery, it wasn’t easy to understand how and why people were willing to pay so much for these vehicles. Initially, I believed the size of the vehicles had to be part of the high price but, when I was explained how much these vehicles do, it was much clearer as to the importance and contribution each vehicle makes to aid in the agriculture industry. As we were going through the facility, we encountered the many different workers and observed how each did their part. Just like the equipment they provide, they work together like a finely tuned machine.
Field Trip 3: Hoober
Although I wasn’t able to go on the field trip due to prior arrangements, I was still able to learn a bit about Hoober from friends in the class. Hoobers has multiple branches, but the one I will be focusing on is the one in Middletown, DE. From their website they say, “Since 1941, the focus at Hoober has been on maximizing our customers’ productivity. From new and used equipment from proven leaders like Case IH, Kubota, JCB and more, to delivering exceptional service and parts support to keep your equipment running at peak performance, Hoober is there for agricultural, light construction, excavation and rural homeowner customers throughout the mid-Atlantic region”.
At Hoober, you can buy equipment, replacement parts, and get help from the people at Hoober. They also focus on precision agriculture, which is a topic that we have been discussing in class. They even provide support for those interested in starting to use precision agriculture. Hoober also sells equipment for construction purposes, but they mostly sell larger pieces of equipment like tractors.
Hoobers
Hoobers a third-generation family owned business that is essentially a mechanic shop but for large farming equipment. They gave us a tour of the facility, where we got to see tractors, combines, planters, and sprayers. Combines in particular are absolutely ginormous – one tire is taller than me. We talked about the different attachments you put on the front to harvest different crops. We got to see some farming equipment currently taken apart because it was in the process of being fixed. They showed us their main office and there were books and binders a plenty- they had manuals dating back 50 years and claimed that even the old ones get used on the regular.
Hoobers doesn’t just fix and sell to farmers, they also sell equipment for construction purposes. We saw a Quadtrac, which moves sand for things like dune building and beach reclamation. The advantages of the Quadtrac is that it can move more sand than a bulldozer and a dump truck could do, and that the Quadtrac is relatively fast. It can drive on a road unlike a bulldozer, which would have to be loaded on a truck.
I knew that farming equipment was big- I didn’t realize how big. I knew that farming equipment was expensive- I didn’t realize how expensive. The combine alone was about half a million, but it needs the attachments too so together it can be three quarters of a million dollars. That’s more than a house which is crazy.
James Atkins lecture on irrigation
James Atkins presented to us how not that much farm land in the world is irrigated but it is being used more often as time goes on. I was very surprised to hear that only 20% of the world’s farmlands are irrigated. There are many different types of ways to irrigate farmlands but they mostly choose to use other watering techniques. From 1950 to 2000 irrigation expanded over 280% but from 2000 to 2010 it only expanded 10%. I am shocked by this because I feel that irrigation would be quite beneficial for farming. Nowadays we see many different types of irrigation on farms such as center pivots and mobile irrigation systems to help farmers be more productive with crop growing.
Hoobers Inc. Field Trip
“You have to know what it does, to fix it and make it go” (Dave Wary). Dave Wary, service technician and sales representative of Hoobers Inc., informed the University of Delaware students about Hoobers Inc. through giving a small lecture about the operation as well as giving a tour of Hoobers Inc. and the different equipment they sell and are currently fixing. Hoobers Inc, unlike many equipment companies, began in the mid-19th century when the 1st generation, Charles Hoober, signed an agreement to sell International Harvester farm equipment in Intercourse, Pennsylvania and started a business in that same year; which later caused him to open the Hoobers & Son Farm Equipment in 1956. With the start of the operation from the first generation, over time the family has continued to grow and expand the business and operate in various locations such as, Middletown, Maryland and Seaford, Delaware and sell and fix equipment such as, lawn mowers, sprayers, combines, and other tractors, and consult farmers, on equipment that the students were able to see today. Essentially, with the Hoobers operation, selling, consulting farmers and servicing equipment, farmers and producers are able to contact the operation on a piece of equipment when it breaks down or has issues before or during planting season, and is able to speak to a specialist who will guide them on how to operate the equipment or will go out to the field to fix the equipment the producer is having issues with. Essentially allowing farmers to get the service they need to operate and continue there work again.
With seeing and learning about the equipment and different services Hoobers Inc provides, Dave Wary allowed the students operate the sprayer, planter, and spiker which allowed the students and myself to experience the equipment farmers use and Hoober consults and fixes which essentially allowed myself and the other students to learn part of a new skill set, broaden our understanding of the agriculture industry in terms of precision ag and the equipment that is used within it; and learn a something that grabbed my interest which is that there is a lot of specifics in building a piece of an equipment, thus to build it, takes a lot of skill set, knowledge and labor to create something to allow farmers to have a more efficient way of producing a product.
Guest Speaker James Atkins: Introduction to Irrigation
“ The Towers of Avalon was some of the first irrigated Agriculture” (James Atkins). James Atkins, an Irrigation specialist, informed the students of the University of Delaware about the importance of irrigation, the history, the irrigation methods used today, and the water rights that have been placed within the United States and in neighboring countries. Irrigation, one of the many important aspects in feeding the world, allows farmers and producers to control the amount of water that is placed on the field which allows the crop to get the needed amount of water for growth and development; essentially creating a higher yield. However, this was only possible due to the Towers of Avalon and their method of irrigation to apply water to their crops. During the earlier centuries, the towers of Avalon created and used the method of pumping water from a dam and letting it flow down to the field to apply water to their crops. This essentially, allowed for many to have a foundation to develop further methods of irrigation that eventually led to the use of aluminum pipes due to the abundance of aluminum after World War II to build sprinkler systems that are rolled manually, hard hose irrigation, and central irrigation.
With the developments of methods of irrigation during the earlier centuries, many were able to develop advanced systems that fit the different types of crops and their needs. Today, the irrigation methods of subsurface drip irrigation, traveling gun irrigation, shallow surface irrigation, and central pivot irrigation are used, the most widely being, central pivot irrigation. Central pivot irrigation, a process in which equipment rotates around a pivot and crops are watered through the sprinklers on the system that have zone and variability controlling that controls each of the individual water dispensing nozzles on the center pivot irrigation system and allows for efficient water dispensing over the areas needed on the field. With the use of irrigation of the fields, many states near a water source are under water rights due to the concern of the sustainability of water in that area, thus, this allows many to share the water without over usage of it. From this presentation, many things about the irrigation methods in the past and current day time can be learned which can help me and the other students develop a greater understanding of growing crops and the processes within it.
Throughout this lecture, Mr. Atkins discussed the importance of irrigation across the United States and the history that irrigation to be in the standing it is today which led myself and other students to develop a further understanding of irrigation and its benefits to farmers and producers and discover an interesting fact which was that irrigation is needed in many dry regions of the earth which has resulted into water rights to be placed to prevent the water source from running out.
Fifer’s Orchard
On Friday the 27th of September, the class went on a field trip. Although I was not able to go, I learned a few things through my classmates. At Fifer’s orchard, they grow peaches, apples, strawberries, kale, broccoli, tomatoes, and sweet corn. They are inorganic because of challenges like humidity and time it takes to grow the crop. They use plastic beds for growing to distribute the water underground and it allows the plant to absorb sunlight for the roots without the problems of weeds growing.
I’ve been to orchards before near my hometown. I was able to pick my own apples and pumpkins. At Fifer’s most of their crops are handpicked. They have pumpkin picking and all kinds of fall activities. They sell some of their apple cider and produce at the farm directly to consumers. I think places like Fifer’s are really cool to spend a weekend in the fall to have fun and feel festive.
Iowa and California Agricultural Giants Ed Kee Guest Lecture
Hearing Ed Kee come and Lecture again was a great opportunity for learning. He knows so much and I found it kinda funny that he brought bacon and gave it someone. But, it did drive a major point across Iowas pork industry travels all around. I always just assumed that down in the southern areas of the country is where the pigs would be. Ed Kee set it straight pork comes from Iowa. I also never assumed that Iowa was as impactful as it was in the agricultural industry. But, It is in almost the perfect area and they sure are taking full advantage of it as they grow 13% of the United States corn all by themselves. I also would have never thought that 9/11 would have really made a difference in the agricultural field at all. But, I think that this change was a good one as it helped kinda buffer fossil fuels to not be 100% in all fuels.
Fifer Orchards
Fifer Orchards is a 3,000-acre farm providing fresh produce to the Delmarva area since the 1920s. They currently grow a large variety of produce such as asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, sweet corn, strawberries, peaches, apples and much more! Sweet corn is their number one profit on a whole scale, shipping it out as far north as Boston, Massachusetts and as south as Miami, Florida. A new milestone for the farm happened this year, shipping sweet corn all the way to Mexico since Colorado took a hit in their corn production this season. On a per acre bases of profit; tomatoes and strawberries are their top contenders. Fifer Orchards has partnerships with local stores such as Giant to be able to sell local produce in supermarkets around the peninsula. They also do a great job marketing with the main farm store in Camden- Wyoming, Delaware and a produce stand in Dewey Beach, Delaware. While those two stores can only reach a limited population, they also offer a Community Supported Agricultural (CSA) club. This program allows consumers to pay upfront at the beginning of the season for a Delmarva Box full of local goodies with pickup every week. Next time you’re in the area, stop into Fifer Orchards to pick up some local treats or sign up for a CSA box!