Delaware News

Delaware businesses help celebrate First State agriculture with special art project

Department of Agriculture | News | Date Posted: Tuesday, March 17, 2015



Photos are available for media use on Flickr.

DOVER – A special exhibition of Delaware’s agricultural heritage is receiving strong support from the Delaware business community. The Delaware Century Farm Portraits project is being backed by M&T Bank (Presenting Platinum Sponsor), Growmark FS (Exhibiting Silver Sponsor) and the Delaware Farm Bureau (Bronze Sponsors) as part of the initiative to fund the 10 paintings of Century Farm owners and the farms they have preserved for generations.

The art exhibition will open at the Delaware Agricultural Museum & Village in Dover from May 1 – June 30, with a special public reception on May 14, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. It will feature a special catalog and documentary to record the project and highlight ways that agriculture continues as a strong part of Delaware’s economy.

Artist and project coordinator Mark S. Reeve of Milford said that the sponsors were a natural fit for the project, with M&T’s financial solutions for agricultural businesses, Growmark FS’s continuing scientific innovations, and the Delaware Farm Bureau’s ongoing efforts to strengthen agriculture.

The project is a partnership between Reeve and the Delaware Department of Agriculture to create 10 paintings of Delaware Century Farms, which have been in continuous family ownership and sustained farming for more than 100 years.

“What was really exciting while speaking with many of the owners was how they and their ancestors had to innovate and dedicate themselves to preserving these family farms as agricultural properties,” says Reeve. “Seeing the ways they retooled themselves and stayed viable can perhaps provide inspiration to other farm owners struggling with with their futures.”

Participating farms include Cooch’s Bridge Farm, Newark; Woodside Farm Creamery, Hockessin; Fairview Farm in Lincoln, former home to founding Delawarean Robert Houston; and the Miller Farm in Frederica, one of the 10 original William Penn land grants.

Sponsorships are available through April 1. The May 14 reception will include exhibits from M&T Bank and Growmark FS and presentations on agricultural financing from M&T Bank and the Delaware Young Farmers Program from the Delaware Department of Agriculture.

For more information, contact Mark S. Reeve, 302-841-8379, markreeveart@gmail.com, or on Facebook at facebook.com/markreeveart.

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Delaware businesses help celebrate First State agriculture with special art project

Department of Agriculture | News | Date Posted: Tuesday, March 17, 2015



Photos are available for media use on Flickr.

DOVER – A special exhibition of Delaware’s agricultural heritage is receiving strong support from the Delaware business community. The Delaware Century Farm Portraits project is being backed by M&T Bank (Presenting Platinum Sponsor), Growmark FS (Exhibiting Silver Sponsor) and the Delaware Farm Bureau (Bronze Sponsors) as part of the initiative to fund the 10 paintings of Century Farm owners and the farms they have preserved for generations.

The art exhibition will open at the Delaware Agricultural Museum & Village in Dover from May 1 – June 30, with a special public reception on May 14, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. It will feature a special catalog and documentary to record the project and highlight ways that agriculture continues as a strong part of Delaware’s economy.

Artist and project coordinator Mark S. Reeve of Milford said that the sponsors were a natural fit for the project, with M&T’s financial solutions for agricultural businesses, Growmark FS’s continuing scientific innovations, and the Delaware Farm Bureau’s ongoing efforts to strengthen agriculture.

The project is a partnership between Reeve and the Delaware Department of Agriculture to create 10 paintings of Delaware Century Farms, which have been in continuous family ownership and sustained farming for more than 100 years.

“What was really exciting while speaking with many of the owners was how they and their ancestors had to innovate and dedicate themselves to preserving these family farms as agricultural properties,” says Reeve. “Seeing the ways they retooled themselves and stayed viable can perhaps provide inspiration to other farm owners struggling with with their futures.”

Participating farms include Cooch’s Bridge Farm, Newark; Woodside Farm Creamery, Hockessin; Fairview Farm in Lincoln, former home to founding Delawarean Robert Houston; and the Miller Farm in Frederica, one of the 10 original William Penn land grants.

Sponsorships are available through April 1. The May 14 reception will include exhibits from M&T Bank and Growmark FS and presentations on agricultural financing from M&T Bank and the Delaware Young Farmers Program from the Delaware Department of Agriculture.

For more information, contact Mark S. Reeve, 302-841-8379, markreeveart@gmail.com, or on Facebook at facebook.com/markreeveart.

image_printPrint


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.