Delaware Farms and Agriculture: History, How Farms Make Money, Strategy and Who to Contact

Guide updated November 2026

Delaware farms are small in acreage but large in output. The 2022 Census of Agriculture counted 2,158 farms on 522,834 acres, with $2.1 billion in products sold, about 78 percent of it from livestock, poultry and their products. Broiler chickens, corn and soybeans dominate, and a strong farmland preservation program protects roughly three in ten farm acres.

Agriculture in Delaware: A Short History

Delaware farming grew up on a mix of grain, fruit and livestock, and the town of Wyoming has been called Delaware's 'Peach Center' for its orchard heritage. Today its century farms keep that continuity. The state recognizes families that have owned the same land for 100 years or more, and press coverage has reported 160 Delaware farms past that mark.

The modern industry took shape around poultry. Broiler houses spread across Sussex and Kent counties, and grain farms such as Schiff Farms in Harrington started with a few poultry houses beside corn and soybeans. The 2022 Census counted about 50.5 million broilers on hand at year end, which is why poultry and eggs alone generated about $1.59 billion in sales. Sussex County holds 262,079 acres of farmland, Kent 187,248 and New Castle 73,507.

How Farms in Delaware Make Money

Poultry and eggs lead

Broilers and other meat-type chickens are the state's economic engine. Most growers raise birds under contract for processors, and the Census shows poultry and eggs far outweighing every crop. Contract growers earn from housing and care, not from owning the birds, so credit, house upgrades and utility costs matter.

Grain and oilseeds feed the birds

Corn for grain covered 187,785 acres and soybeans 175,605 acres in 2022. Much of that crop supplies the poultry sector, and operations such as Schiff Farms add storage and grain buying to capture merchandising margin.

Produce, direct sales and agritourism

Watermelon, sweet corn, tomatoes, peaches and strawberries move through grocery chains and farm stores. Fifer Orchards combines stores, grocery distribution, a CSA and agritourism, and the Delaware Grown brand supports specialty crop marketing.

Agriculture Strategy for Delaware Farms

Soils, water and nutrients

Delaware sits on the Delmarva Peninsula with sandy coastal-plain soils in Sussex and heavier ground to the north. Nutrient management is the dominant stewardship issue because manure from poultry is abundant. The Department of Agriculture reports that its Nutrient Management Program was rated positively by farmers in an independent survey, and it funds manure relocation, cover crop programs and nutrient management planning. Cover crops, reduced tillage and drip irrigation, practices the Fifer family uses, protect water quality and soil.

Production and risk

Poultry growers face disease risk: Delaware was the first state to exceed one million birds affected in the 2022 avian influenza outbreak, and fast response limited the damage to three commercial operations. Biosecurity, mortality management and insurance are fixed costs of doing business. For crops, the department notes a 30 percent crop insurance premium subsidy and 100 percent dairy margin coverage subsidy as risk tools, and diversification across melons, vegetables and grain smooths income.

Technology and inputs

Precision nutrient application, irrigation scheduling and high tunnels let small acreages produce more. The old poultry house demolition cost share program helped remove 56 abandoned houses, a reminder that obsolete buildings are a liability and modernization is worth planning for. University of Delaware Extension agents are funded in part by the state and bring research to growers through Delaware Ag Week.

Farm Business Strategy in Delaware

Margins and markets

With 242 acres as the average farm, most operations either specialize in contract poultry, scale up in grain and produce, or add value. Proximity to Eastern seaboard cities is the key advantage: Vincent Farms ships from Richmond to Boston and into Canada, and Delmarva watermelon growers supply East Coast markets from mid-July into October. Know your buyer, hold a food safety certification such as GAP and build cold storage to widen the market.

Land, credit and succession

Farmland is under development pressure, but the Agricultural Land Preservation Program has preserved 155,486 acres, nearly 30 percent of Delaware farmland, and the American Farmland Trust ranked it second most effective in the nation. Selling an easement can fund debt reduction or succession. The 2022 Census counted 1,481 producers aged 65 or older against 345 under 35, so transition planning is urgent. FSA loans and Farm Credit lenders serve beginning farmers, and multi-generation partnerships like Vincent Farms spread leadership roles.

Marketing and diversification

Delaware Grown, farm stores, CSAs, Farm to School sales and agritourism add margin on small acreages. The department has secured $3,238,574 in Specialty Crop Block Grant funding for 72 projects, and $3,064,266 in Local Food Purchase Assistance funding supported local food channels. Pandemic-era food box contracts showed that logistics and trucking capacity can be a product in themselves.

Farm Insight: Delaware Trends to Watch

Three trends deserve attention. First, the 2022 Census showed farm numbers down 6 percent while sales rose 43 percent and average farm size rose 6 percent, so consolidation and higher prices are reshaping the farm base. Second, an aging operator base makes succession planning and easements central to staying in business.

Third, disease and regulation will keep shaping poultry. Growers who invest in biosecurity and keep nutrient plans current stay ahead of both. The profiled operations below, Fifer Orchards, Schiff Farms and Vincent Farms, show three paths: retail diversification, grain merchandising and produce logistics.

Elite Farms and Ranches in Delaware

These 3 operations are profiled in full, with history, how each makes money, lessons for other farms and published contact details.

Elite operations in Delaware

• Fifer OrchardsElite operation. Camden-Wyoming, Delaware. Fifer Orchards in Camden-Wyoming, Delaware: farming since 1919 on 3,000+ acres, 2018 state Secretary's Award. History, crops, revenue streams and contacts.
• Schiff FarmsElite operation. Harrington, Delaware. Schiff Farms in Harrington, Delaware: founded 1946, 3,500 acres in Delaware plus Maryland, Nebraska, Wyoming. History, grain storage, revenue streams, contact.
• Vincent FarmsElite operation. Laurel, Delaware. Vincent Farms in Laurel, Sussex County, Delaware: fifth-generation family farm of about 3,000 acres, 2021 Secretary's Award. History, melons, revenue and contact.

Who to Contact in Delaware: Agriculture Offices and Associations

• Delaware Department of Agriculture accomplishments - State programs: land preservation, nutrient management, specialty crops
• University of Delaware Cooperative Extension - Land-grant extension programs, fact sheets and Delaware Ag Week partner
• USDA NASS 2022 Delaware Census profile - Farms, acres, sales and operators
• USDA NASS Delaware Agricultural Profile - State statistics profile
• USDA Farmers.gov - FSA loans, crop insurance and conservation program sign-up
• Delaware century farms - News coverage of Delaware farms past 100 years

Delaware Farming FAQ

How many farms are in Delaware?

The 2022 Census of Agriculture counted 2,158 farms on 522,834 acres, averaging 242 acres.

What is Delaware's biggest agricultural product?

Poultry. Poultry and eggs brought in about $1.59 billion of the state's roughly $2.1 billion in sales in 2022.

How does Delaware protect farmland?

Through the Agricultural Land Preservation Program, which has preserved 155,486 acres, almost 30 percent of Delaware farmland.

Which Delaware farms are profiled here?

Fifer Orchards, Schiff Farms and Vincent Farms, each a recipient of the state Secretary's Award.

Delaware farms prove that a small state can run a very large agricultural business. Read the profiles of Fifer Orchards, Schiff Farms and Vincent Farms below to see how real operations apply the strategies in this guide.