Fifer Orchards in Delaware: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Fifer Orchards is a Delaware century farm in the Camden-Wyoming area of Kent County that has been in operation since 1919 and now covers more than 3,000 acres. It received the Delaware Secretary's Award for Distinguished Service to Delaware Agriculture in January 2018, and the University of Delaware has profiled it as a model of diversified, multi-channel produce growing.
| Location | Camden-Wyoming, Kent County, Delaware |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1919, by Charles Frederick Fifer |
| Sectors | Vegetables, fruit, pumpkins, agritourism, farm stores |
| Scale | More than 3,000 acres, according to a University of Delaware farm tour report |
| Why it is elite | 2018 Secretary's Award for Distinguished Service to Delaware Agriculture; century farm; Global GAP certified |
| Ownership | Fifer family; third and fourth generations run the farm |
| Official website | Delaware state announcement of the 2018 Secretary's Award to Fifer Orchards |
History of Fifer Orchards
Charles Frederick Fifer founded the farm, and the University of Delaware describes it as a Delaware century farm that has been operating since 1919. A University of Delaware tour report notes that the operation was roughly one-tenth of its present size when it started, which today stands at more than 3,000 acres.
Four generations of the Fifer family have worked the land. In January 2018 the state announced that Bobby, Carlton and Curt Fifer's farm had won the Secretary's Award for Distinguished Service to Delaware Agriculture at the Delaware Agricultural Industry Dinner. The state release said the third and fourth generations now run the business, and Secretary Michael Scuse pointed out that the farm has never turned down a request to host visiting officials and farmers.
What Fifer Orchards Grows and Raises
Published accounts list asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes, peaches, sweet corn, pumpkins, strawberries, apples and kale among its crops. A University of Delaware report found sweet corn to be the most profitable crop in one recent season, with tomatoes the most abundant per acre. The family has added high tunnels to its tomato plan and has trialed black versus white plastic mulch on strawberries to shift harvest timing and avoid oversupply at the start of the picking window.
The state release credits crop rotation, integrated pest management, drip irrigation, cover crops, reduced tillage and reduced pesticide use, and notes Global Good Agricultural Practices certification. The farm runs a packaging line and large coolers, and disease and pest prevention is described as a major daily task. It also offers jobs to high school agriscience students and college agriculture students.
How Fifer Orchards Makes Money
Farm stores and on-farm retail
The farm sells through its own farm stores, where the University of Delaware report lists apple cider donuts, cider, apples, kettle corn and pickles. On-farm retail captures the full retail margin on crops that would otherwise sell wholesale.
Wholesale and grocery distribution
Produce moves to local grocery stores, grocery distributors such as Giant, a third-party distributor and wholesale buyers. Shipping sweet corn to regions facing a shortage, as the farm did to New Mexico and Colorado in one season, shows how a packing line and cold storage open markets beyond Delmarva.
CSA, agritourism and Farm to School
The state release says the operation runs a community supported agriculture program and agritourism, and supports Delaware's Farm to School initiative. The Department of Agriculture noted that this diversification helps the farm ride out the ups and downs of farming.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Fifer Orchards
The first lesson is channel diversification. Fifer Orchards sells the same fields through stores, grocery, wholesale, CSA and visits, so a weak price in one channel does not sink a season. Building a packing line and cold storage is what makes that mix possible.
The second is harvest timing. Using mulch colors and high tunnels to stagger production smooths supply and price, a low-cost agronomic tool any vegetable grower can test on a small block first. The third is openness: a farm that hosts officials, students and customers builds goodwill that supports its brand and its labor pipeline.
A farm that has been feeding Delaware since 1919 has surely heard every cider-donut pun in the book. For anyone who wants a break between sweet corn picks, farm.FM serves up farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes that even the most serious orchard manager can enjoy. Consider it the kettle corn of the internet: light, a little salty and gone before you notice.
Readers who want the full experience can pair the jokes with Tractor Tunes, the country music for farmers that farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, plays between stories. This author page is a fine starting point.
How to Contact Fifer Orchards
Website: https://news.delaware.gov/2018/01/12/61843
No official farm homepage appeared in the sources reviewed, so the best verified public page is listed. Search for the farm's own site and store hours before visiting; details were not independently confirmed in November 2026.
Fifer Orchards Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Delaware news release on the 2018 award - State announcement naming the Fifer family and farm practices
- University of Delaware: 100 years of farming - University profile covering the 1919 start, acreage and crops
- Four generations of Fifer family farms - University of Delaware tour report on markets and the farm store
- Delaware Business Now coverage - Independent news coverage of the Secretary's Award
- USDA NASS 2022 Delaware Census profile - State farm numbers, land in farms and sales
Fifer Orchards FAQ
Where is Fifer Orchards?
It is in the Camden-Wyoming area of Kent County, Delaware.
How big is Fifer Orchards?
A University of Delaware tour report puts it at more than 3,000 acres, up from roughly one-tenth of that when it began.
What award has it won?
The Delaware Department of Agriculture gave the Fifer family the Secretary's Award for Distinguished Service to Delaware Agriculture, announced in January 2018.
How does the farm make money?
Through farm stores, grocery and wholesale sales, a CSA, agritourism and support for Farm to School, according to the state release.
Fifer Orchards shows how a century farm stays relevant by growing the right crops and selling them through many doors. For the wider picture of Delaware agriculture, including poultry, grain and farmland preservation, read the Delaware farms guide and the other profiled operations.