DOVER, Del. (December 13, 2023) – The Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) announced beginning January 2, 2024, their seed laboratory will offer additional testing service options to assist producers. For the first time since 1999, DDA is increasing fees for services performed by the DDA Seed Lab.

Under 3 Del. C. § 1507, DDA’s Seed Lab can charge for seed testing services. The laboratory has not changed its fee structure in 24 years; however, the rising costs of testing supplies and equipment necessitated this increase.

The Plant Industries Section, which oversees the DDA Seed Laboratory, has added services, including Noxious Weed Count ($10/sample) and Cold Germination ($15/sample). In early 2024, the lab will add the Falling Number test, which helps identify flour quality by testing the enzymatic activity and structural integrity of starch chains in cereal crops. The Falling Numbers test will be $50/sample.

The following fee schedule will take effect on January 2, 2024, and be applied to each sample submitted:

For testing, one pound of seed should be submitted in a clean bag labeled with the type of seed and the date it was harvested. Samples are expected to be free of foreign matter, including debris and chaffing from the seed. Uncleaned samples and samples containing other grains will be subject to a cleaning fee of $30 per sample.

The Seed Lab also offers the following analyses:

• Vomitoxin: $46/sample
• Aflatoxin: $46/sample
• Round-Up Tolerance: $20/sample
• Seed Count (conditioned samples only): $10/sample

For additional details about these changes or submitting samples for testing, please contact the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Seed Laboratory at 302-698-4590 or visit https://agriculture.delaware.gov/plant-industries.

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DOVER, Del. (December 13, 2023) – The Delaware Association for Environmental Education (DAEE) is holding its 15th Annual Conference with a focus on “Nature Access for All!” on February 24, 2024, at Fred Fifer III Middle School in Camden. The keynote speaker will be Dr. McKay Jenkins, noted author and University of Delaware professor.

Todd Klawinski, DAEE Chairman of the Board, states, “DAEE’s mission is to promote environmental education and meaningful outdoor experiences to create positive community impacts that lead to the conservation and sustainability of Delaware’s natural resources. The Annual Conference, now in its 15th year, highlights the innovative work of Delaware’s diverse Network of statewide partners committed to collaboratively increasing environmental literacy for ALL Delawareans. Our conference brings together classroom teachers, environmental educators, resource professionals, and community partners for a day of networking and unique learning experiences aimed at increasing equitable access to the knowledge, skills, and dispositions critical for communities to be well-prepared to address current and future environmental challenges.”

The conference is an opportunity for formal and non-formal educators to join community leaders and advocates to help Delaware’s diverse communities increase environmental literacy. The event features networking, professional learning, hands-on experiences, and community education for both adults and youth. It also highlights environmental education opportunities, initiatives, resources, best practices, and local issues to help foster impactful environmental stewardship.

Call for Presentations
DAEE invites professionals, thought leaders and experts in education or environmental issues to submit presentation proposals on innovative topics, best practices, and emerging trends. Successful presenters will be able to showcase their expertise and contribute to the knowledge exchange at this year’s workshop.

Delaware Forest Service’s Trainer-Educator Ashley Melvin, who is also the DAEE Conference planning committee chair, remarked, “The Delaware Forest Service has been a strong partner with the DAEE for 15 years because we recognize the impact that DAEE has on environmental education through highlighting the success stories of educators throughout Delaware. It is always exciting to see how conference participants implement what they learn in their programs.”

Proposals should include a brief abstract, speaker bio, and contact information, and should address one of the following conference subjects:

1. Connecting People with Nature
   2. Engaging Professionals in Environmental Education
   3. Cultivating Environmental Leaders
   4. Innovative and Inclusive environmental education

Interested speakers can submit proposals by December 29 at: https://bit.ly/daee2024

“Awards of Excellence” Nominations
DAEE is proud to announce the opening of nominations for its 2023 “Awards for Excellence,” which aim to recognize outstanding achievements, innovation, and leadership in environmental education in Delaware. This recognition was established in 2017 by the Delaware Communities in Nature in partnership with DAEE. The selection committee is encouraging individuals and organizations to nominate themselves for worthwhile activities and projects for the calendar year 2023.

Award Categories

• Exemplary Partnership: This award is presented to a group working in Delaware that demonstrates an outstanding partnership in the environmental field that serves as a model and inspiration to others.

• Meaningful Impact: This award recognizes accomplishments toward facilitating positive community impacts on conservation, sustainability, and/or career advancement in the environmental field in Delaware.
• Healthy Innovation: This award recognizes new approaches to connecting children, individuals, and/or families with the outdoors and healthy lifestyles in Delaware.
• Outstanding Field Educator: This award is presented to an individual and/or organization working in Delaware who demonstrates outstanding local, regional, and/or global environmental education efforts.

Award Nomination Process
Nominations must be submitted online by January 5 at https://bit.ly/daee2023awards

Applicants need to provide up to three photographs of the project, work, or of the nominee relating to the work for which they are nominated. Additional materials can be submitted to DAEEonline@gmail.com with the words DAEE Award in the subject line. Please note all submitted materials, nomination text/details, photographs and supporting documents may be shared at the annual DAEE conference, on the DAEE website, virtual conferencing platforms, and on social media platforms hosted by DAEE and CIN. By submitting the form and emailing supporting documents, you agree that DAEE can use these materials in the manner listed above for this year and in the future.

Nominations/Submissions will be reviewed by a committee of DAEE’s Board of Directors. The committee will review applications and select award winners for each category. Nominees may be considered for multiple categories, including categories they may have not been nominated for; however, they will only be eligible to receive one award. Winners will be notified by email and recognized at the Annual Conference. Individual award winners will receive one free ticket to the annual conference. Organization or group winners will receive two free tickets.

For any questions and more information, please visit daeeonline.org, or contact Ashley Melvin at 302-698-4551 or Ashley.Melvin@delaware.gov.

DOVER, Del. (December 12, 2023) – Following an extensive application and interview process, LEADelaware has seated 12 fellows representing Delaware’s agriculture industry, who will begin a 2-year journey to develop leadership skills within the food, fiber, and natural resources industries.

“With 21 applicants, we had the second-largest pool of applicants in the program’s history, and these 12 fellows really rose to the top throughout the selection process for Class VII. This class will gain a unique perspective with five fellows actively farming in the state,” said LEADelaware Co-Director Chris Brosch. “The class represents all three counties, and we have a wide representation, including educators, growers and producers of poultry, specialty crops, grain, individuals involved in food access, and agency employees.”

The LEADelaware Fellows for 2024-2026 include Justin Blessing, Mule Run Farms; Kyle Brolis, Food Bank of Delaware; Nate Bruce, Delaware Cooperative Extension; Logan Field, Growmark FS; Nichole Krambeck, Insight Crop Scouting, LLC; Ash Kunder, Pint Family Farms / DNREC; Ashley Tabibian, DNREC; Lisa Porter, L & L Farms; Jill Pollock, Delaware Cooperative Extension; Melissa Tracy, Odyssey Charter School; Brooke Walls, Delaware Department of Agriculture; and Rebecca Schaller, Delaware Department of Agriculture.

“Chris and I are very pleased with the exceptional pool of applicants to Class VII. We are excited to get the program back up and running after a two-year hiatus, which allowed us to take time to assess what was working well with the program and what modifications were necessary,” said LEADelaware Co-Director Jennifer Volk. “With this cohort, we plan to not only discuss leadership and experience Delaware’s agriculture and natural resources but also focus on how we can all contribute to addressing the issues that challenge the sustainability of agriculture.”

The program offers unique learning opportunities where fellows will do site visits, attend seminars and expert panels, and participate in team activities and workshops. At the end of the program, the cohort will go on an international agriculture study trip to be determined in 2025. The trip will last roughly ten days, exhibit a country or region’s diversity of agriculture, and offer a behind-the-scenes look into an industry that is very different but likely has surprising similarities.

According to Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Michael T. Scuse, “Agriculture is Delaware’s number one industry, providing more than 69,000 jobs and nearly $10.3 billion of economic activity. While Delaware farmers produce various agricultural products on 530,000 acres of farmland, many Delawareans do not understand the importance of protecting our land from development. The LEADelaware graduates play an integral role in communicating and promoting the importance of agriculture to the communities and industries throughout our state.”

LEADelaware Alumni from Classes I – VI are invited to gather on January 9 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Delaware Ag Week to meet the newest members of Class VII and learn what is planned for their cohort. Alumni Amber Bataille, Lindsay Lancaster, and Patti Web will share about their recent travels to Wyoming for the International Leadership Alumni Conference and discuss opportunities for additional alumni engagement going forward. Alumni must register before January 3, 2024, by contacting Karen Adams at adams@udel.edu or calling 302-831-3328 to ensure an accurate count for food.

LEADelaware is a partnership between the University of Delaware’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Delaware Department of Agriculture to build the next generation of leaders in agriculture, natural resources, and sustainability. For more information on the program, visit http://sites.udel.edu/leadelaware.

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Dover, Del. (November 21, 2023) – The Delaware Department of Agriculture is urging all poultry owners, including commercial producers and backyard flock owners, to take precautions to protect their flocks from disease after a commercial broiler flock in Caroline County, Maryland, was preliminarily confirmed to have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Further confirmation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory is pending.

Avian influenza is an airborne respiratory virus that spreads easily among chickens through nasal and eye secretions, as well as manure. The virus can be spread in various ways from flock to flock, including by wild birds, through contact with infected poultry, by equipment, and on the clothing and shoes of caretakers. Avian influenza can infect poultry, such as chickens, ducks, turkeys, pheasants, geese, and guinea fowl, and is carried by some wild bird species, such as ducks, geese, shorebirds, and raptors.

Wild birds typically do not show signs of illness but can shed the virus at high levels in their manure or droppings if infected. In fact, one gram of contaminated manure, enough to cover a dime, can infect one million birds. Therefore, Delaware poultry is at risk from exposure if they can access areas where free-flying waterfowl and wild birds are in the environment. Additionally, if a person steps in contaminated manure while out and about, they can bring the virus back to their domesticated birds, where the birds can eat it, causing infection.

Biosecurity refers to everything people can do to protect their flock to stop anything that causes disease away from the birds, property, and people. Anyone raising or working around poultry should follow these key biosecurity practices:

• Wear designated farm clothing and shoes when working with your birds, or use disposable shoe coverings each time you enter your flock area. If you have multiple chicken houses, have a dedicated pair of footwear that you keep in each house. Use footbaths before entering a chicken house.
• Wash your hands before and after working with your birds to reduce the chance of spreading infectious particles.
• Clean and disinfect any equipment or bird housing/coops before bringing them onto your property. Avian influenza can survive in manure for several months, especially with high moisture and low temperatures.
• Starlings, songbirds, vultures, and other raptors can be carriers of avian influenza and not show signs of disease. Consider hanging a bird deterrent in the poultry house doorway when working in the poultry house while doors are open.
• Wash your vehicles and trailers after visiting other poultry facilities, and go through a car wash before you return home.
• Keep visitors to a minimum. Only allow those who are responsible for caring for your flock to come in contact with the birds. Limit, monitor, and record any movement of people, vehicles, or animals on or off your farm using a logbook. If visitors had contact with other poultry, have pet birds, or had contact with wild birds (e.g., hunting), do not let them come in contact with your flock.

When adding birds to your flock, purchase them from a reputable source. The baby chicks purchased at local farm stores come from NPIP-certified flocks tested and shown to be free from avian influenza. When they are two weeks old, these chicks will typically leave the store with their new owner, so they are considered low-risk for having the disease. However, they are more susceptible to contracting the virus from their new environment once they are about three weeks old. Make sure to keep new birds or returning show birds separated from established home flocks for 30 days.

The Delaware Department of Agriculture requires the registration of all locations where live poultry is kept. This allows timely information on disease incidents to be sent to all producers. If you have not registered your flock, please visit https://de.gov/poultry to access the Backyard Flock Registration Form.

No matter the size, all poultry farms should be monitoring flocks for any signs of increased mortality. Pay particular attention to see if any birds show signs of respiratory illness or distress, such as sneezing, gasping for air, coughing, and/or runny nose. Other signs of HPAI in poultry can include swelling around the eyes, neck, and head; purple discoloration of the wattles, combs, and legs; tremors, drooping wings, circling, twisting of the head and neck, or any combination; watery, green diarrhea; lack of energy, poor appetite; and a drop in egg production, or soft or thin-shelled, misshapen eggs.

If You Have Sick Poultry or Experience Increased Mortality in Your Flock:

• Commercial poultry producers should follow the procedures of contacting the company they grow for when they notice signs of disease.
• Delaware backyard flock owners who notice any signs of HPAI in their flock should call the Delaware Poultry Health Hotline at 302-698-4507 or email poultry.health@delaware.gov and provide your contact information, flock size, location, and concerns.
• Backyard flock owners will be contacted if a sample needs to be taken. Do not take dead or sick birds to a lab to be tested or move them off-site.

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DOVER, Del. (October 26, 2023) – The Office of the State Veterinarian announced Delaware has had five confirmed cases and one suspected case of West Nile Virus (WNV) recently reported in Delaware horses. These are the first Delaware cases of WNV in horses in 2023, with the cases occurring between September 9 and October 16, 2023.

All of the recent cases involve horses that were not vaccinated, including:

• 1-year-old Standardbred mare, Kent County, confirmed case, recovered
• 3-year-old Standardbred mare, Kent County, suspected case, recovered
• 6-year-old Standardbred mare, Kent County, confirmed case, euthanized
• > 20-year-old Percheron mare, New Castle County, confirmed case, recovered
• 1-year-old Standardbred colt, Kent County, confirmed case, recovered
• 14-year-old Standardbred mare, Kent County, confirmed, outcome unknown

Signs of infection in horses include fever (although not always with WNV), anorexia, head pressing, depression or personality change, wobbling or staggering, weakness, blindness, convulsions, muscle spasms in the head and neck, or hind-limb weakness. If owners notice any of these signs in their horses, they should contact their veterinarian immediately.

Animal health professionals with formal training in diagnosing or recognizing animal diseases and pests of horses and livestock are required to report suspected or confirmed cases of WNV and EEE to the Office of the State Veterinarian within 24 hours. Examples of animal health professionals include, but are not limited to, veterinary medical professionals, diagnostic laboratorians, biomedical researchers, public health officials, animal health officials, trained technicians, zoo personnel, and wildlife personnel with such training.

WNV and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) are diseases transmitted to horses via the bites of mosquitoes. Humans can also be infected with WNV and EEE, but transmission requires a mosquito bite, and the virus cannot be directly transmitted between horses or between horses and people.

Most people infected with WNV do not develop symptoms, but about 20% can develop a mild illness, including fever, body and muscle aches, headache, nausea, vomiting, and rash symptoms. A small number of people can develop serious illness involving neurological problems, paralysis, and possibly death. The Division of Public Health Disease Prevention & Control Section reports that Delaware had four confirmed cases of neuroinvasive WNV this year.

The public is reminded to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites, including wearing light-colored clothing of long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors in mosquito-prone areas; applying insect repellent containing 10 to 30% diethyltoluamide (DEET) in accordance with label instructions; and avoiding mosquito-infested areas and at times of peak mosquito activity around dusk, dawn and at night.

With the first hard freeze, the mosquito season should come to a close; however, the State Veterinarian is urging horse owners to contact their veterinarians to ensure they add the WNV and EEE vaccines to their annual vaccination schedule for 2024 to help protect their horses and other equines. Neither disease has a specific drug treatment, and EEE infections in horses are fatal in 70 to 90 percent of cases and WNV in 30 percent of cases.

Horse owners can take several additional steps in the barn and around the farm to help protect horses from mosquito bites. Horses should be kept inside during dawn and dusk, peak hours for mosquito activity. Topical insect repellents labeled for use on horses may be applied. The wind generated by fans installed in horse stalls can also help deter mosquitoes. Old tires and containers should be disposed of, and standing water should be eliminated. Water troughs or buckets should be emptied, cleaned, and refilled every 2-3 days, if possible, to remove any mosquito eggs or larvae.

For more information about WNV or EEE:

• To report suspected cases of human West Nile Virus, contact the DPH Office of Infectious Disease Epidemiology (OIDE) at 302-744-4990 during normal business hours from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday; 1-888-295-5196 outside of normal business hours; fax: 302-622-4194; or email reportdisease@delaware.gov.
• Animal health questions should be directed to the Delaware Department of Agriculture at 302-698-4500. Ask for the Poultry and Animal Health Section.
• Questions about the state’s mosquito control program or mosquito biology should be directed to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Mosquito Control Section at 302-739-9917.

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