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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Delaware Agriculture Week Returns, Spotlighting Innovation and Farm Economics
January 05, 2026 | Written by Maryann PughDelaware’s farming community will gather January 12 to 15 at the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington as Delaware Agriculture Week returns for its third decade, bringing together producers, educators, and industry leaders for four days of education, networking, and business insight. -
Habitually, a New Year
January 02, 2026 | Written by: Jazmin McKenzie, MS, Dietetic Intern and Diane Oliver, MPH, RDNIt’s not uncommon to hear “New Year, New Me,” but this phrase is also slowly going out of style due to its controversial views of creating short-lived lifestyle changes. What if we narrow the line from “New Me” to “New Habits”? By creating focused changes that help us to improve our lifestyles, we can begin to feel more accomplished in life. Setting realistic, small-step goals can help us to say in the end, “it's a newer me, now.” -
Chicken growers face challenges as winter settles in
December 21, 2025 | Written by Katie Peikes | Cape GazetteChicken producers and backyard flock owners face numerous challenges with the colder, winter weather, especially if their chickens are cold and stressed. Georgie Cartanza, statewide poultry agent for University of Delaware Cooperative Extension, has a chicken farm of her own, and shares some tips for helping chickens thrive in winter, especially as bird flu continues to devastate flocks.
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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.