All four of Daniel and his wife Becky's children grew up working at the stand and still contribute to its daily operations. This includes their daughter Christy Vanderwende Wright, UD Class of 2001 food and agribusiness marketing and agricultural education alumna. 

“I was 11 when we started the produce stand, so I got to know the grain crops and the produce,” Christy said. “Working at the stand extended my learning on top of the 4-H and FFA opportunities I had growing up.” 

By the time Christy graduated college, the stand began selling not only grain and produce, but also meat and flowers. Once she transitioned into her own career, first as an agriscience teacher then as a policy analyst for the Delaware senate minority caucus, it was time for the next generation of Vanderwendes to begin working at the stand. 

Enter Maci Carter, a UD Class of 2024 agriculture and natural resources and plant science double major, who followed in Aunt Christy’s Blue Hen tracks.  

“I started working at the stand in middle school learning how to talk to customers and sell our famous sweet corn and flowers,” said Maci, who now works as a crop insurance agent at Horizon Farm Credit. “I learned from my grandmother to put customers first. Now I’m applying this every day being in sales, so it's really full circle.” 

Between all the Vanderwendes, they own and manage hundreds of acres of farmland, the beloved Vanderwende's Ice Cream, and Dusti Small, a UD Class of 2007 animal science and biotechnology double major, now runs her own large animal veterinary clinic in Florida. 

“My family takes a lot of pride in our family businesses,” Maci said. “But I also take a lot of pride in becoming one of the 11 UD graduates in the family. It’s really empowering.”

Forward focused 

On top of physically maintaining agricultural lands, many of the Vanderwendes influence policy and regulatory measures and give back to their community. 

Working in the State Senate, Christy helps draft legislation and leads the Legislative Fellows Program for UD students to gain hands-on experience drafting resolutions, task forces and bills.

“I would love to introduce more ag students to the policy side,” Christy said. “There are so many careers in government that touch or intersect with agriculture.” 

Christy’s husband and UD Class of 1994 alumnus Scott Wright works on the regulatory side of agriculture at United States Department of Agriculture in Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to assess threatening animal diseases as an animal health technician. 

“We’re like an emergency response unit during a disease outbreak,” said Scott, who majored in animal science. “My group focuses on surveilling auction sites, barns and butcher shops, and then also assisting farmers when these outbreaks do happen.”

With so many connections in agriculture, the Vanderwendes work together to drive Delaware’s agricultural landscape into the future. 

“Whether it’s grain or produce or animal products, they’re all intertwined,” Scott said. “Farmers and producers wear many hats nowadays and one of those hats is bound to fall in line with something that we’re involved with.”

The family also volunteers for their local community anywhere they can. Daniel works with Bridgeville Kiwanis, a service organization aiming to help underserved children, as their treasurer of more than 40 years. He fundraises through their Route 404 chicken barbecue stand. Christy and Scott also volunteer with local 4-H organizations, leading horticulture and animal science projects. 

Through these experiences, different generations of farmers and agricultural leaders collaborate. 

“Agriculture is always changing,” Daniel said. “I’ve learned from my kids, nieces and nephews because they bring back fresh ideas from UD, while I share the practical side of farming. It works both ways.”

One person Daniel continues learning from is his granddaughter Brielle Carter, a UD Class of 2026 agriculture and natural resources major. 

“It’s a balance between experience and innovation,” Daniel said. “The regulations and technology frustrate me at times, but the younger generation takes it in stride.” 

From working at the stand to interning at the Delaware Farm Bureau, Brielle Carter now aims to share her agricultural knowledge through agribusiness communications. 

“A lot of people didn’t know how their food was grown and where it came from,” Brielle said. “Sharing that knowledge was something that really sparked an interest in me.”

For the Vanderwendes, agriculture isn’t just a career path, it’s a family tradition, and they continue to plant roots in Delaware’s soils with every new generation. 

“As a first-generation college student, I never imagined so many of my children and relatives would attend UD and enter agriculture,” Daniel said. “General agriculture allowed me to study a little bit of everything, which has been useful throughout my career, so it’s really gratifying to see education and farming go hand in hand across generations.”