Existing clients may receive additional benefits to support food needs

NEW CASTLE (June 28, 2020) – Emergency benefits will be issued to participants of Delaware’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for June as part of the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020.

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Under this federal act signed into law March 18, the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) will issue emergency benefits to any household not already receiving the maximum monthly SNAP benefit. SNAP households that already receive the maximum monthly benefit will not receive additional funds.

The emergency benefits will be released Tuesday evening, June 30, and will automatically load to recipients’ SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards for use starting Wednesday, July 1. The emergency benefits will allow the household’s monthly allotment to increase to the maximum amount for a household of that size, as follows:

SNAP households will receive their regular June benefits on their usual issuance dates.

Many SNAP households also received emergency benefits in March, April and May. “We are grateful that this additional assistance continues to be available to Delaware families who are struggling to meet their food and nutritional needs because of the devastating impact of COVID-19 on our economy,” said Dr. Kara Odom Walker, Cabinet Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services. “DHSS continues to work with our fellow state agencies and community partners to help reduce the number of individuals and families who are worried about going hungry.”

More than 120,000 Delawareans receive SNAP benefits. The average size of a SNAP household in Delaware is 2.04 individuals and the average monthly benefit amount is $233. Individuals seeking to apply for SNAP benefits in Delaware may apply online through Delaware ASSIST or by phone at 1-866-843-7212.

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The Department of Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of life of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.

DOVER, Del. – Following up on the recent announcement of USDA’s approval of Delaware’s Domestic Hemp Production Program, the Delaware Department of Agriculture released their registration materials online Friday, February 7.

Under the Delaware Domestic Hemp Production Program, the Delaware Department of Agriculture is responsible for regulating the production of hemp. The Department does not have oversight of the selling of hemp products or the businesses marketing these products. This includes any CBD product.

In the Participant Guide, Plant Industries Administrator Jessica Inhof outlined differences from the 2019 Delaware Hemp Research Pilot Program to the 2020 production program, including:

• The Department has removed acreage limits for producing hemp.
• The Department has removed the requirement that seed be delivered to the Department for producer pick up. Please note, when purchasing seed, all seed is still subject to the Federal Seed Act and Delaware Seed Law which regulate seed tags and labeling.
• The Department has removed the requirement to work with a research institution. A Research Agreement with Delaware State University or any other university is no longer required.
• The Department will issue official cards for participants to prove credentials to law enforcement if needed. These cards will demonstrate your participation in the Program.
• The Department will allow producers to designate one person as an Authorized Representative with the authority to be present at sample collection and correspond with the Department. This person must be indicated on the Producer Application and must submit a Criminal History Report.
• The Department requires only one Criminal History Report, if applying for more than one license type. Criminal History Reports are to be submitted at the time of application or renewal and must be dated no more than four months prior.

The 2020 Delaware Domestic Hemp Production Program is fee-based as outlined in the Participant Guide and applications that can be found online at https://de.gov/hemp.

For this year, the Delaware Department of Agriculture will be accepting producer applications and growing site registrations from February 7 to May 7, 2020. All questions related to Delaware’s Domestic Hemp Production Program should be emailed to DDA_HempProgram@delaware.gov.

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Media Contact: Stacey Hofmann, (302) 698-4542, Stacey.Hofmann@delaware.gov

DOVER, Del. – The Delaware Department of Agriculture announced today that the USDA approved the state plan submitted for the Delaware Domestic Hemp Production Program. Delaware is now the second state on the East Coast to receive approval to administer a domestic hemp program.

“I want to commend the staff at the Department of Agriculture for putting together a successful plan for smart domestic hemp production in Delaware,” said Governor Carney. “Not only does this help offer another crop for our farmers to produce, but it provides value-added products that will continue to grow small business in our state.”

“The final approval creates opportunities for growers within the state,” said Secretary of Agriculture Michael T. Scuse. “We know that many growers are looking to produce hemp for oil, but as with any farming operation, it is important to diversify to help spread the risk.” Hemp biomass is used to produce clothing textiles, industrial textiles, paper, building materials, and products to support other agricultural industries.

Grown in the United States from colonial days on, hemp was a major crop until the conclusion of World War II. In 1970, the Controlled Substances Act classified hemp as an illicit drug due to its close relationship with marijuana. The 2018 Farm Bill permanently legalized hemp and hemp products, establishing them as agricultural commodities, and removing them from the purview of the Controlled Substances Act.

The Delaware Department of Agriculture received notification from USDA’s Deputy Administrator Sonia N. Jimenez that the plan had been approved. With the approval, Delaware assumes “primary regulatory responsibility for hemp production within its jurisdiction.” Manufacturing of hemp products for human and animal consumption remains under the authority of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“This has been a long time coming, but I am excited that our hard work has paid off and the State Plan has been approved by USDA,” said Plant Industries Administrator Jessica Inhof. “Now we can move forward to finalize the forms and participant guides, as well as the state regulations. I look forward to the 2020 hemp growing season and the future of the Delaware Domestic Hemp Production Program.”

According to Inhof, the Delaware Department of Agriculture will not release registration materials and participant guides to the public until February 7, online at https://de.gov/hemp.

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Dover, Del. – As the 2018 growing season officially comes to an end, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will contact producers in Delaware to gather final year-end crop production numbers and the amount of grain and oilseeds they store on their farms. At the same time, NASS will survey grain facility operators to determine year-end grain and oilseed stocks.

“These surveys are the largest and most important year-end surveys conducted by NASS,” explained NASS Delaware State Statistician Dale P. Hawks. “They are the basis for the official USDA estimates of production and harvested acres of all major agricultural commodities in the United States and year-end grain and oilseed supplies. Data from the survey will benefit farmers and processors by providing timely and accurate information to help them make critical year-end business decisions and begin planning for the next growing and marketing season.”

NASS will analyze the survey information and publish the results in a series of USDA reports, including the Crop Production Annual Summary and quarterly Grain Stocks reports, both to be released Friday, January 11, 2019.

“Responses to the producer survey will also be included in the County Agricultural Production Survey and used in calculating county yields,” explained Hawks. “USDA uses county yield information from the survey to evaluate and administer vital farm disaster and insurance programs. Farmers who receive this survey are not included in the County Agricultural Production Survey; therefore this is their only opportunity to be included in the calculation of Delaware’s county yields.”

As with all NASS surveys, information provided by respondents is confidential, as required by federal law. NASS safeguards the privacy of all responses and publishes only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified. All NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/. For more information call the NASS Delaware Field Office at (800) 282-8685.

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Media Contact: Stacey Hofmann, 302-698-4500, stacey.hofmann@delaware.gov

DOVER, Del. — Emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive insect from Asia that attacks and kills ash trees, has been confirmed at two new sites in Delaware: one near Middletown, New Castle County, and another near Seaford, Sussex County. Originally found in northern Delaware in 2016, the new detections create added urgency for homeowners and municipalities to determine if they have ash trees on their property and decide on possible management options. Current guidelines recommend the removal or treatment of ash trees if located within 15 miles of a known infestation. Because Delaware is geographically small and EAB can go undetected for years, residents are urged to educate themselves now and take action.

“These new detections broaden the areas that we are interested in, but it doesn’t really change our scope of work. Since the first detection in 2016, we have been recommending that property owners within a 5 to 15 mile radius of a positive detection treat trees that they want to keep, or to remove trees if necessary to protect their property and to help limit the spread of the emerald ash borer” said Stephen Hauss, DDA Plant Industries Environmental Scientist II. “USDA’s proposal to end the quarantine regulations does not mean that we stop caring about EAB. We still have not found EAB in Kent County, so we will continue surveying and taking tips from the public.”

For the latest information from Delaware’s Department of Agriculture, residents can go to de.gov/ashtrees for an EAB Fact Sheet and an Ash Treatment Decision Guide.

“Now is the time to be thinking about removing and replacing ash trees, something we’ve been recommending for some time. We’ve been anticipating EAB for many years, but these latest detections show EAB’s spread throughout our state,” said Kesha Braunskill, Delaware urban and community forestry program director. “If a particular tree or trees are highly valued by the property owner, chemical treatment may be an option, otherwise removal and replacing ash with a suitable species is our recommendation.”

Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) has now been confirmed in 35 states, the District of Columbia, and five Canadian provinces. The USDA’s Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS) estimates that the insect has killed millions of ash trees, caused agencies to implement extensive federal quarantines, and cost hundreds of millions of dollars to municipalities, homeowners, nursery operators and forest product industries. For a comprehensive history and overview of EAB, read the Emerald Ash Borer Story Map.

The failure to stop EAB through regulatory controls prompted APHIS to propose removing its domestic multi-state quarantine for emerald ash borer on September 19, 2018, with public comments accepted through November 19. In its Fact Sheet on the proposal, the agency said it plans to allocate resources currently used for quarantine enforcement for “biological control agents for emerald ash borer, which would serve as the primary tool to mitigate and control the pest.”

By all accounts, EAB has been a devastating insect responsible for the widespread decline of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) in both rural and urban areas in the United States. Ash is a hardwood tree traditionally used for making baseball bats and its high heat value also makes it ideal for firewood. Because of the danger of humans inadvertently spreading EAB,  the “Don’t Move Firewood” campaign was developed to urge people to not move firewood, “buy it local,” and if they “bring it, burn it.”

Ash is identifiable by its compound leaf with 5 to 9 leaflets arranged opposite each other. Ash trees are also one of the trees (along with maple, dogwood, and horse-chestnut) that feature an opposite branching pattern. Symptoms of an EAB infestation can be difficult to notice at first, but usually include: canopy dieback, epicormic sprouting, bark splits, woodpecker damage, and D-shaped exit holes on the bark. Adult beetles feed on ash leaves but actually cause little damage. However, EAB larvae (the immature stage) feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients and killing the tree in just a few years.

The Delaware Forest Service estimates that ash makes up only about two percent of the total tree species in the state, however some communities near urban areas have a higher percentage of ash and could be more adversely impacted.