This class will hold four Saturday field trips. Students are required to write a post on your choice of any three. If you cannot attend at least three in person, you are responsible for finding out from a classmate on the key takeaways of the field trip and use any of the photos posted CANR’s Flickr site.
Fall 2021 Field Trips are:
- Saturday, September 11, 2020 – Delaware Organic Poultry Farm – Kent County. photos
- Saturday, October 9, 2021- Hoober’s Equipment, Middletown
- Saturday, October 16, 2021 – Fifer Orchards, Camden-Wyoming
- Saturday, November 13, 2021 – University of Delaware Webb Farm
Students are expected to prepare at least one question to ask our hosts
My trip to the poultry farm was a great experience. It was the first time I had been exposed to a farm producing that many chic’s, it was really nice to see how well the Chic’s were taken care of. They had plenty of room to roam around as well as plenty of food and sunlight. When you read the negative stuff on the internet about their production it paints a completely different picture then the one I saw during our field trip. The farm we visited was run by a wonderful woman named Georgie Cortanza. She was very knowledgeable and passionate about the work she does. the choices she was raising at the time where organic so she had to make modifications to her farm and process to certify organic. Some of the more interesting things I learned during my visit was that Purdue bought the choices and the food for the chic’s which allowed Georgie to keep her costs down. This is great because it allows a lower entry point for beginning farmers. I was not prepared for the smell though although I was told it wasn’t that bad in comparison to other farms. Ms. Cortanzas road to becoming a farmer was an interesting one. She started out as a flock supervisor for Purdue and worked her way up in the company. After some family gave her some land she decided to make a go of it and start her own farm. She enjoys being her own boss and says she is happy with her quality of life and her ability to make a difference in her industry.