Carvel Research and Education Center
Welcome
UD's 347-acre Agriculture Research Experimental Station and Sussex Cooperative Extension
Bird Flu: What you need to know
UD poultry agent shares 6 facts about
avian Influenza
Save the Date!
Agronomic and crop field tours
August 14, 2025
Poultry Health
Research + Extension
Sharing the latest research with our community
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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Peep into learning
June 25, 2025 | Written by Michele WalfredDelaware’s 4-H Embryology Program brings baby chicks all across Delaware classrooms, libraries, afterschool programs and other locations as part of an emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). The program has delighted thousands of students for years, imprinting upon young minds a memorable experience of nature and science. The impact is powerful, reaching 42,000 participants in the past five years. -
Lose the lawn, for Earth’s sake
June 20, 2025 | Written By Kathleen M. Doyle Kent County Master GardenerLawns are the most irrigated “crop” in the U.S, covering approximately 40 million acres of land — twice as much as our national parks. They provide no nourishment to any species (except Japanese beetles), and they degrade the soil and watershed due to their shallow roots and the chemicals property owners use to kill weeds and insects and to maintain the color. While patches of lawn are useful for children and pets, most homeowners blanket their property with turf. The impact of this monoculture of lawn devastates the environment. -
Drought Damage, Disease, or Both?
June 11, 2025 | Written by: Tracy Wootten, Sussex County Horticulture Agent and Jill Pollok, UD Plant Diagnostician with Delaware Cooperative ExtensionMany on Delmarva are seeing damage to trees and shrubs from the severe drought we experienced in 2024. Evergreens used for windbreaks and screening on poultry farms are no exception. Jill Pollok, University of Delaware Plant Diagnostician, shares items that we can expect in 2025 after the drought:
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.