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 agricultural 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
Upcoming Events
Montage of Extension Staff in Action in Delaware: youtube.com/watch?v=UHPYhBIWRj0
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Leading through service: Mireille Chahine joins UD Cooperative Extension
October 08, 2026 | Written by Dante LaPenta | Photos by Michele WalfredMireille Chahine is the newly minted associate dean and director of UD Cooperative Extension. A long-time Cooperative Extension veteran of the University of Idaho, Chahine was drawn to the First State because of the prominence of agriculture. -
De-Stress Your Holidays: Put Protective Factors in Place Now
October 05, 2026 | Written by: Jennifer Seabrook-Scott, Health & Well-Being Extension AgentIt’s coming up on that time of year again: forced social interactions, loneliness and/or grief, and financial strain. To counter these holiday stressors, we can build protective factors now. Protective factors are conditions, attributes, or resources that help people deal more effectively with stressful life events. They act as a psychological shield; while they don't eliminate life challenges, they reduce negative impacts and prevent deeper harm. -
UD Carvel Center’s expanded field and crop tours provide key outreach to Delaware agriculture
September 30, 2026 | Article and photos by Michele Walfred. Video by Cassandra DaleyEvery August, University of Delaware Cooperative Extension experts at the Elbert N. and Ann V. Carvel Research and Education Center in Georgetown open up their 347-acre campus and invite agriculture stakeholders to view first hand the latest research in both fruit and vegetable and agronomic crops. A decades-long tradition, the summer event attracts local farmers, farm-related businesses and vendors, certified crop advisors and anyone with a vested interest in Delaware’s largest economic sector — agriculture.
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.