Carvel Research and Education Center
Welcome
UD's 347-acre Agriculture Research Experimental Station and Sussex Cooperative Extension
Carvel Research and Extension Tours
Bird Flu: What you need to know
UD poultry agent shares 6 facts about
avian Influenza
Poultry Health
Research + Extension
Sharing the latest research with our community
The Elbert N. and Ann V. Carvel Research and Education Center
The Carvel Center campus, located in Georgetown in Sussex County, fulfills the tripartite mission of our land-grant university — teaching, research and Extension outreach. The Carvel Center serves as the southern agriculture experiment station for the University of Delaware College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and encompasses the Thurman Adams Jr. Agriculture Research Farm (347 acres) with a focus on agronomic, vegetable and horticulture crops, the Warrington Irrigation Research Farm (120 acres) in Harbeson, Lasher Laboratory for poultry diagnostics, and the Jones Hamilton Environmental Research House. Our campus is also home to Sussex County Cooperative Extension providing programing in 4-H Youth Development, Poultry, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Lawn and Garden.
With an overall staff of 50 full-time administrators, agents, faculty, and specialists, assisted by 50 to 70 seasonal part-time employees and student interns, the Carvel Center paves the way in serving the needs of the agricultural industry, youth and families, students and residents of our great state. Learn more about our history.
Our research and educational facilities
Trapezing Trees
Article by Michele Walfred, Tracy Wootten and Jeremy Wayman Video by Michele Walfred
When people need a large tree removed or pruned on their property, they often encounter sticker shock. It’s expensive, and therefore tempting, to take on the towering tree task themselves.
Stop. It is not a DIY project. Put away the ladder and call in a pro! Scaling up a towering oak, maple, sycamore, or elm tree and doing so safely, and removing or pruning without incident, is an art form best left to the experts.
Montage of Extension Staff in Action in Delaware: youtube.com/watch?v=UHPYhBIWRj0
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Let’s Grow Outside!
September 19, 2025 | Article by Jessica Henderson Photo by Christian S. Ferrell September 19, 2025Beginning in November, the Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood, housed in University of Delaware's College of Education and Human Development, will again offer the Let’s Grow Outside! professional development initiative for early childhood education programs. The innovative program teaches educators about outdoor gardening with young children and provides a grant-funded opportunity for participants to develop their own edible garden. -
Harvesting sweet corn
September 10, 2025 | Written by Katie Peikes | Photo courtesy of David OwensDelaware farmers harvest their sweet corn from the end of June to early October. University of Delaware Cooperative Extension is a huge resource to sweet corn farmers, assisting them with questions like what varieties of sweet corn to plant and how they can deal with insect pressure to their corn crop. -
Reading Soil Tests for Coastal Salinity
September 08, 2025 | Written by Jarrod Miller, Agronomy Extension SpecialistMany nutrients in soil exist as salts, soluble and available for plant uptake. But when salts accumulate in excess, crop growth can decline. With more frequent surface flooding in coastal fields and communities (Figure 1), it is increasingly important to interpret soil tests correctly. These tests can help guide management decisions, including soil amendments and crop selection.
Upcoming Events
History of the Agriculture Research Center in Georgetown
A Delaware General Assembly act provided the establishment of an agricultural substation for southern Delaware. The first structure at the new "Substation" opened in 1942, which is still in use — now as storage space.
A more thorough, published history written by former Extension specialist and former Delaware Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Kee, is now available in the fall of 2019.