On October 6th our AGRI130 class took a tour of the Fifer’s Family farm and orchard. While on the tour we meet with one of the sons of the farm that take care of all of the fruits and vegetables on the farm, He began to take use on a tour around there whole operation from where they have the u-pick pumpkin patch to the cold fridge where they store there fruits. While on the tour he took use along side one of his strawberry fields that they where planting as we drove by they had a group of 4 on the back of the tractor putting the young plants in the whole where the tractor put holes in the tarp. Also when we went in to the packing shed he was telling use what plants have to stay in which climates after there picked and how they hand check every apple so they make sure everything is top of the line so they can get the most profit. Then to round out the day we went into the store they have and where able to get something from there to end the day.
Category Archives: Production Agriculture
Fifer Orchards
FIFER ORCHARDS
Fifer’s is located in Camden Wyoming, Delaware. Fifer Orchards mission is to grow and sell high-quality products while preserving the environment, serving the community and maintaining family values. Fifer Orchards is a 4th generation family farm, continuing the vision and legacy of Charles Federick Fifer. The family farm looks for innovative ways to remain viable and successful as a family business in very challenging and constantly changing agricultural industry. The 4th generation Fifer’s continue to grow a very diverse mix of high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables including asparagus, strawberries, tomatoes, blueberries, apples, peaches, nectarines, plums, heirloom varieties, apples, pumpkins and more.
At Fifer Orchards they farm 3,000 acres of land, with most of the land they are able to double crop. Of the 3,000 acres, 1,100 acres are used solely for sweet corn production. They also grow crops in small trials in efforts to diversify their operation by testing them in fields of 10-20 acres. Trials are important because if they succeed it could lead to a form of income all year round if they can find ways to successfully grow. Their best money making crops are sweetcorn, pumpkins, peaches, and asparagus. Fifer Orchards operates its own stores and ships crops all over the east coast. You can even find their products at Giant Foods.
Their production is possible because of irrigation such as sprinkle lines, drip irrigation, hard hoses, and pivots. They also use technology such as GPS and trackers to be more efficient. The use of high tunnels also allows for higher quality products all year round. Four acres of high tunnels is able to produce what 20 acres of open land could produce, that is because of the dryness in the tunnels which results in less susceptibility to disease.
Delaware agriculture is more than just grain and polutry production.
Fifer’s Orchard Field Trip
Fifer’s Orchard is a sizeable farm operation that employs many people and grows a variety of crops. Fifer’s Orchard operates its own stores and ships crops all over the east coast. They grow a variety of crops and their best crops for making money were sweetcorn, pumpkins, peaches, and asparagus. It was surprising to learn that they grow about 1100 acres of sweetcorn but they also grow many crops in small trial amounts to diversify their products and to test them in fields of around 10 or 20 acres. They use different kinds of irrigation such as sprinkle lines, drip irrigation, hard hoses, and pivots. They also use technology such as GPS and trackers to be more efficient. There are many different challenges that they have faced this year with pests and disease. Many leaves were yellowed and diseased in their kale field which was the result of a much wetter year. It was interesting to hear about some of the challenges that Fifer’s Orchard will have to tackle in the next couple of years such as weather, climate change, government regulations, transportation of crops, and labor.
Gene Editing
Gene editing as defined by Merriam Webster is, the use of biotechnological techniques to make changes to specific DNA sequences in the genome of a living organism. This basically means that scientists can go into DNA strands and edit them to display, or not display a certain trait. This can allow for greater accuracy and efficiency of an organism at interest. It is also noted that the process of gene editing usually would naturally occur in nature after repeated breeding. Gene editing just speeds up the process of improving genetics.
This technology of being able to change genetic material in a beneficial way is extremely important for the future of agriculture. It is extremely important in the food and fiber production system and the forever increasing demand of these products. Gene editing can benefit farmers in allowing them to keep up with the demand to produce food. This adds a great value to gene editing because it is one way producers can meet the demand for food and fiber, that will continue to grow.
Irrigation lecture: James Adkins
On October 3rd In our AGRI130 had guest speaker James Adkins came in and gave our class a lecture about irrigation and the benefits and disadvantages that can come with having irrigation. In his lecture he covered a wide range of different types of irrigation systems there are from center pivots to traveling guns to flood irrigation. The thing that interested me the most was that only a small portion of the world is irrigated and those farms with that irrigation produce the majority of the crops and food the world needs. An from just riding around here down in Sussex county all you see is irrigation in the field for crops like your corn to you sod company’s that just need it to irrigate there grass for there customers. An then most of the place the use irrigation are going to may be likely to run out of water because the aquifers wont last forever.
Agricultural Irrigation with James Adkins
It was surprising to learn about how only 20% of the total farmland in the world is irrigated but that land provides for 40% of the total food supply. In Delaware we see many center pivot systems on farms but only 30% of the farmland in Delaware is irrigated. Much of the irrigated land in Delaware is in Sussex County due to its sandier soils. There are many different methods of irrigation that are used in the United States but around 30 million acres of irrigated land uses flood irrigation. California is one of the biggest users of agricultural irrigation and 43% of its farmland used flood irrigation or other forms of gravity irrigation. Center pivot systems are used in abundance out in the Mid West but they don’t give a perfect uniform distribution of water to all the crops and they leave corners that do not receive any water. Many new technologies are constantly being developed to better map the areas that need to irrigated so that we can grow more food with the same amount of land to feed a rapidly expanding population.
Fifer’s Trip
On October 6th we visited Fifer’s, which was a super educational and fun trip. It was crazy to learn just how large and in depth their production was; they farm over 3,000 acres of land, harvest multiple crops for all three growing seasons, and manage to do so as one large family unit. Some of the crops the Fifer family grows includes pumpkins, apples, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes, cauliflower, and sweet corn. All of these products are then sold to grocery stores, farm stands, or in the store they have on their property that they also have fall festivals at. Fifer’s is a conventionally run farm that uses multiple forms of irrigation and growing methods. They have conventional fields as well as high tunnels; they grow their tomato plants out of the tunnels using drip irrigation. We learned that their crop yield and success heavily depends on crop rotation, and a lot of time goes into deciding where to put everything each year. We also had the opportunity to see some of the farm hands implanting some strawberry crops from the back of a tractor, which was super neat to see. We got the chance to speak to two of the Fifer brothers, both of whom handle totally different ends of the business, so we got to learn about the actual farming end as well as the food safety and handling end as well. All in all, this trip was super neat, and we got to go home with lots of goodies (albeit the trip home was a little longer than anticipated).
Field Trip to Fifer Orchards
On October sixth, the AGRI 130 students had the opportunity to visit and tour Fifer Orchards in Camden Delaware. Fifers is a multi-generation farm that produces grain and horticultural crops. The farm’s production of sweet corn, pumpkins, peaches, and asparagus bring in the most revenue of over seven different crops produced on the farm throughout the year. Fifers consists of 3000 production acres that feature pivot irrigation, drip irrigation, and hard hose irrigation systems depending on the type of crop. In order to ensure the success of their crops, fifers sprays pesticides to prevent the growth of weeds, insects, bacteria, and nematodes in the fields. To further the quality of their horticultural crops, the fruits and vegetables are picked by hand and occasionally picked by customers. A portion of the yield is sold to grocery stores and the rest is sold at the farm. Food safety certificates and USDA food safety audits allow Fifers to sell their products to supermarkets. Precision agriculture, growing tunnels, water wheel planters, and other technological advances have allowed Fifers to become a successful crop producer. It was very interesting to see the water wheel tractor attachment being utilized to plant juvenile strawberry plants. The diversification of the crops grown at Fifers are also an attribute to their success. Each new crop goes through a three year trial process before the plant is grown regularly at the farm. The experience concluded with a tour of the cold storage facilities on the farm; specific products are stored at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and other products are stored at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. I enjoyed the tour of Fifer Orchards, and I learned a lot from the experience. Thank you to Bobby and Curt Fifer for giving AGRI 130 a tour.
Fifer’s Orchards Field Trip
For our second field trip, my classmates and I went to Fifer’s Orchards in Camden, DE. There we met Bobby who runs the farm and plant portion and his brother Kurt who handles the marketing portion of the business. At the orchards, they grow everything from apples, sweet corn, strawberries, cauliflower, pumpkins, tomatoes, potatoes, and kale. They are not an organic business. Throughout the farm they use most varieties of irrigation. Some examples of the irrigation types consists of trickle, hard hoes reels, and center pivot systems. Kurt was talking about the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and how it benefits them. For instance, it benefits small farms, it gives farmers the ability to take in credit. Also an impact for the farmers is that the consumers provide the money up front to the farmers to help them get started and when time gets closer for the crop to be harvested the consumer has first grabs with no extra charge to them because they paid at the beginning. A challenge for the family operated farm is that it’s a seasonal job. It’s hard to keep employees because they only work about five months out of the whole year. Some of the people they hire is college and high school students but mainly retirees. The retirees have a little more experience and it also gives them something to do. Finally, for future notice always try and drive separately otherwise there is a mostly likely chance the bus will break down.
Irrigation with James Adkins
Last Wednesday James Adkins guest lectured in class on agriculture irrigation. From the start I was very surprised by the quote he included that said, “While 20% of the world’s farmland is irrigated, it produces 40% of our foods supply.” This is actually pretty crazy to think that 20% of the farmland produces almost half of the food supply, and that 20% has to pay for the costs of irrigation. Through the lecture, James talked a lot about different types of irrigation systems, and different methods of irrigation around the US and world. It was really cool to see how things differed from location to location, especially when irrigation is not used on my farm at all. Irrigation is something in agriculture I am not exposed to much, so it was interesting to learn about the use/impacts of irrigation. He also talked about irrigation in California, which we briefly discussed during one of Ed Kee’s lecture.
James was really intriguing to listen to lecture because of his vast knowledge/experience with these systems. He talked about the process as well as what can go wrong with the systems. James also discussed the precision part of irrigation, and how technology has greatly impacted the accuracy and efficiency of irrigation. Ultimately, I learned a lot about agricultural irrigation from this lecture!
James Adkins Discusses Irrigation Systems with University of Delaware Students
James Adkins visited the University of Delaware to give an overview of Irrigation systems used across the world. His guest lecture filled the students in on important features and systems of irrigation. It was interesting to learn some old and foreign ways of the process, with the addition of modern technology used in the United States. Tripods and related technology is currently what many farmers use. It is not the most efficient when it come to water run-off, and it does a good job at getting the land watered. Another method involves drip pipes. These pipes can be installed into the land and waters the soil when needed. As Dr. Isaacs let on, this option is very time consuming and labor-intensive, so it can be a burden for farms with larger acreage. The next things to hit the scene included GPS and Drone technology. In our lifetime, James Adkins predicts almost everything “irrigation” will be automated. Yet another intriguing guest lecture, and another avenue for CANR students to look for employment.
Importance of Irrigation and Water Management with James Adkins
On October third, the AGRI 130 students had the opportunity to learn about irrigation and water management with James Adkins, an irrigation engineer for the University of Delaware. During the lecture, the students learned about the different methods and technologies of irrigation. Each irrigation method has different downfalls and benefits, depending on the soil quality, incline of the land, and other individual factors. It was interesting to learn how irrigation systems have gone from furrow irrigation, which is digging out areas on inclined land to run water through, to center pivot irrigation, which is a technology that distributes water above the crops in a circular fashion. Technological advances have allowed agriculturalists who irrigate to conserve water and reap twice the crop yield of a traditional farm. Current issues have shown that responsible water management is the key to feeding the growing world population. Field research has enabled agriculturalists to develop and improve irrigation methods. Current advances include crop mapping systems, electronic data collection based on irrigation, and the development of drones for mapping. The eastern half of US crops receive more water than what is required for growth whereas the western half of US crops receive the minimum amount of water for survival. This is due to the amount of rainfall that occurs on the two halves of the US. The difference in rainfall in the US has caused changes in the methodology of irrigation based on a farm’s individual needs. Thank you to James Adkins for teaching AGRI 130 students about irrigation.
California and Iowa Agriculture: Guest Lecture by Ed Kee
After visiting the University of Delaware for a second lecture on agriculture, Ed Kee focused on topics in Iowa and California. Although vastly different from Delaware, these states supply a large part of their market. Both are dominating when it comes to production rates, and they are focused on environmental efforts.
Iowa ranks 1st in corn production with 8.5 billon dollars in economic activity. Although most of this crop is used as produce and feed, Iowa is the leader in corn produced for ethanol. Corn ethanol is a better option for gasoline as it is a renewable energy source. The state actual produces 25% of the nations ethanol reserve.
California is one of the largest players in American agriculture. They average 47 billon dollars in sales, which makes them first in the nation. California produces the most milk and cream out of all other commodities. Another interesting note is that almost 95% of the nations tomatoes come from this great state!
Ed Kee presented us with yet another great lecture. It’s interesting to learn about other states agriculture which give us a well-rounded overview of the U.S. agriculture market.
Iowa and California – Agriculture Giants
Iowa
85% of Iowa’s land mass is used for agriculture! There are 87,500 farmers in Iowa that till 30.5 million acres a year. Compared to Delaware farmers where they till only 490,000 acres. 92% of Iowa’s cash farm income comes from corn, soybean, pork and beef production. Iowa is ranked first in corn, soybean, pork and egg production. For example, Iowa farmers harvest 13.1 million acres of corn, with a state average of 203 bushels per acre.
What makes Iowa so optimal for agriculture?
Iowa has very fertile soil with a high cation exchange capacity of 10-15. Iowa gets 24 to 36 inches of rain a year which is good because Iowa’s soil moisture capacity is also key to its fertility. The soil’s ability to retain the rain eliminates the need for an irrigation system, thus making production costs lower.
California
California is number one in agriculture sales, with an annual $47 billion dollars. California ranks first in nine different commodities that include- milk/cream, almonds, grapes, lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes, flowers/foliage, walnuts, and hay. California has 77,500 farms with over 25 million acres. An average farm size is 329 acres but some range to 50,000 acres. California is ranked the 10th largest general economy in the world. This means California generates a larger gross domestic product than countries such as Mexico and Canada.
How does California succeed?
Water and labor. Water is what California agriculture is all about. Water in California is very limited, their water source is from the snow caps of the mountains that flow through aqueducts and run through a filter which then is distributed throughout California. Water and the ideal low humidity in California makes it perfect to grow more fruit and vegetables that everyone eats on a daily basis. Also, 95% of our tomato products come from California. This volume of production is ideal because 26% of its production is exported.
Insight from Mr. ED KEE
Ed Kee: Iowa and California Agriculture
On September 26th, Ed Kee came into the class and gave a lecture on the important key points of agriculture in Iowa and as well California. The main points that caught my attention is how much land is used solely for agriculture in Iowa. And the reasons is that the land is very fertile and holds many nutrients in the ground as well holds the rain water very well. and that their main means of money is very similar to Delaware’s crops. And how California is able to grow so much with little amount of rain. even though they don’t have much humidity which is good for vegetables. Also the way you think of California being a big city that only parties but they also are number one in multiple markets of good. Like Milk and cheeses, almonds, grapes and many more.