Emerson Farms in Middletown, a fifth-generation farm established in the early 1940s,
was recognized as the 2026 Environmental Stewardship Award winner for its dairy operation.

DOVER — A longtime New Castle County agricultural family was recognized for its commitment to top environmental practices prior to the Delaware Nutrient Management Commission Meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Emerson Farms in Middletown, a fifth-generation farm established in the early 1940s, was recognized as the 2026 Environmental Stewardship Award winner for its dairy operation. Owned and operated by Robert and Sarah Emerson, their son Lee, and grandson Robbie, the farm milks approximately 180 cows daily and engages the community frequently through hosting 4-H meetings, local high school visits and University of Delaware honors classes as well as leasing animals for students to show.

Emerson’s top management practices including injecting manure, strip tillage to reduce the need to purchase fertilizer, fenced ditches and waterways and a recently built dyked and enclosed chemical mixing and storage building. Animal health is also prioritized through RFD ear tags to monitor milk production and quality of life.

Emerson Farms received $1,000, along with an Environmental Stewardship recognition plaque and lane sign for its win.

The Delaware Environmental Stewardship Award represents a collaborative initiative through the Delaware Nutrient Management Commission (DNMC), with grain producers, poultry companies, turf management professionals, and various agribusiness organizations. This program recognizes farmers, nutrient handlers, and industry leaders who positively impact the environment and prioritize environmental stewardship as a core principle.

“Delaware farmers are top stewards of their land and take pride in their efforts to protect soil and water quality,” said Nutrient Management Program Administrator Brooke Walls. “We congratulate Emerson Farms on this honor, as well as its fellow finalists. The First State’s agricultural community continues to make a difference every day through their best management practices.”

For more than 15 years, the Delaware Nutrient Management Commission has sponsored Environmental Stewardship Awards. This year’s category was dairy operations. The Commission is dedicated to recognizing all facets of Delaware agriculture and will be rotating categories amongst commodity crop and animal operations.

Emerson Farms was selected from a group of three finalists by a six-person panel of industry professionals.

The 2026 Environmental Stewardship Award finalists included:

• Emerson Farms (Middletown)
• G&S Dairy / Raw Goodness LLC (Harrington)
• James and Donna Vanderwende and Sons (Bridgeville)

All finalists receive a recognition plaque and an Environmental Stewardship Award lane sign, along with a $500 prize.

G&S Dairy / Raw Goodness LLC in Harrington, owned by Gregg and Stephanie Knutsen, was operated by Stephanie’s grandfather until the 1980s. The operation includes 50 Holsteins, Brown Swiss and Jersey cows, a renovated milking parlor and a raw milk business.

Conservation practices at G&S Dairy include multi-species cover crop mixes, roofed waste storage and roof gutters. G&S also relies on recycled cooling water, an LED light system, quiet large blade ceiling fans for animal comfort, and, during peak electric use times, irrigation systems that automatically shut off.

The Knutsens host farm tours, farm-to-fork dinners, and day camps teaching children about protecting natural resources and soil health.

James and Donna Vanderwende and Sons in Bridgeville began with just six cows in 1954 and now includes 285 Holsteins milked twice per day along with calves and replacement heifers.

Now in its third generation of family ownership, the farm is in Delaware’s Agricultural Lands Preservation Program. On its tillable acres, the Vanderwende’s conservation strategies include precision fertilizer applications, cover crops and soil moisture sensors for irrigation management.

The family’s Vanderwende Farm Creamery connects the public to a working dairy farm to allow appreciation for where their tasty treats originate.

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