Carvel Research and Education Center
The Elbert N. and Ann V. Carvel Research and Education Center
The Carvel Center campus, located in Georgetown in Sussex County, fulfills the tripartite mission of our land-grant university — teaching, research and Extension outreach. The Carvel Center serves as the southern agriculture experiment station for the University of Delaware College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and encompasses the Thurman Adams Jr. Agriculture Research Farm (347 acres) with a focus on agronomic, vegetable and horticulture crops, the Warrington Irrigation Research Farm (120 acres) in Harbeson, Lasher Laboratory for poultry diagnostics, and the Jones Hamilton Environmental Research House. Our campus is also home to Sussex County Cooperative Extension providing programing in 4-H Youth Development, Poultry, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Lawn and Garden.
With an overall staff of 50 full-time administrators, agents, faculty, and specialists, assisted by 50 to 70 seasonal part-time employees and student interns, the Carvel Center paves the way in serving the needs of the agricultural industry, youth and families, students and residents of our great state. Learn more about our history.
Our research and educational facilities
Trapezing Trees
Article by Michele Walfred, Tracy Wootten and Jeremy Wayman Video by Michele Walfred
When people need a large tree removed or pruned on their property, they often encounter sticker shock. It’s expensive, and therefore tempting, to take on the towering tree task themselves.
Stop. It is not a DIY project. Put away the ladder and call in a pro! Scaling up a towering oak, maple, sycamore, or elm tree and doing so safely, and removing or pruning without incident, is an art form best left to the experts.
Montage of Extension Staff in Action in Delaware: youtube.com/watch?v=UHPYhBIWRj0
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Growing Leadership Skills for Delaware’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Sectors
August 06, 2025 | Written by: Jennifer Volk, Associate Director of Cooperative Extension and co-director of LEADelawareThe LEADelaware Program was established nearly twenty years ago to develop the leaders who can step forward to help ensure that Delaware’s agriculture and natural resources sectors remain secure and sustainable. LEADelaware is a partnership program between University of Delaware Cooperative Extension and the Delaware Department of Agriculture. Six cohorts of fellows have completed the two-year program with Class 7 wrapping up later this year. -
Let's Talk
July 30, 2025 | Written by: Jennifer Seabrook-Scott, Leader of the Thriving Minds program, UD Cooperative Extension Health and Well-being agentCommunication is the gateway to learning. Learning about a youth’s experience, whether it’s your child or someone else’s, requires knowing how to communicate with that child. Currently, youth are confronted with feelings of hopelessness and thoughts of suicide, as they contend with incidences of bullying at alarming rates. Many youths keep these thoughts, feelings, and occurrences to themselves. As the adults in their lives, we want to make sure we are having conversations to address these issues. Today, I lay out some guidelines and possible conversation starters to have with youth. -
‘Kick up some fun’ with UD at the fair
July 17, 2025 | Article by Katie Peikes , Photos by Jackie Czachorowskihis year will be Klaira Wing’s first year participating in a competition at the Delaware State Fair. She’s ready to “kick up some fun,” the theme of this year’s event. “I’m excited to see my friends,” said the 6-year-old Cloverbud, a pre-4-Her from Seaford, Delaware. “I’ve been working on crafts, sewing, drawing and singing.”
Upcoming Events
History of the Agriculture Research Center in Georgetown
A Delaware General Assembly act provided the establishment of an agricultural substation for southern Delaware. The first structure at the new "Substation" opened in 1942, which is still in use — now as storage space.
A more thorough, published history written by former Extension specialist and former Delaware Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Kee, is now available in the fall of 2019.