Good Stewards of the Land

The Fifer family has been farming the fertile soils of Kent County Delaware for almost 90 years. We have kept many acres of land in open space and in active agricultural use since 1919. 

Being good stewards of the land we farm has always been a priority and essential to the long term success and health of our farming operation.  Our livelihood depends on the land that we till and we treat it with respect and care.

We are not a certified organic farming operation.  However, we do use sustainable farming practices that preserve our environment, reduce waste, promote healthy growing systems, while focusing on quality and freshness. 

We face many challenges in growing fruits and vegetables in the Mid-Atlantic region, but you can be certain that we are focused on producing safe high-quality crops. 

Below are a few examples of our general farm stewardship efforts:

Crop Rotation – Growing like crops on the same acreage for multiple years can lead to unhealthy soils that are nutrient starved.  We rotate our crops annually to assure that nutrient levels are being replenished naturally.  This simple practice also decreases pest pressures naturally.	Drip Irrigation – Many of our new orchards, strawberries, cut flowers and other crops are using drip irrigation technology to reduce water waste.  This method of water application uses our resources efficiently and reduces disease pressure that can build with wet leaves from standard irrigation methods.
Integrated Pest Management Programs (IPM) – IPM takes in to consideration life cycles of insects and diseases and the ability of the crop to tolerate some damage.  There are many insects and mites that are beneficial because they naturally consume other pests that harm the crop.  We take steps to not harm these beneficial insects and monitor their populations.	High Tunnel Technology – High tunnels use radiant daytime heating to extend the season and give us early and late season fruit and vegetable production. We currently grow tomatoes and strawberries in our tunnels.  The crops are planted in the ground as normal, but are covered by a tall plastic canopy and never rained on.  This reduces disease pressure.
Buffer Strips – Prevents run off from heavy rains and protects waterways.  Erosion prevention is very important to our long term success as a farm.	Pheromone disruption – We use pheromones to confuse damaging insects and reduce populations.  This reduces spray applications significantly.
Reduced Tillage – We plant some crops in to un tilled ground.  This reduces fuel usage, reduces erosion, and helps the soil retain moisture.	Traps – We spend many hours trapping and scouting our farms and orchards to follow pest popluations.  This knowledge allows us to make informed decisions about specific insects that are of concern.
Soil Sampling - We have four staff members certified in nutrient management to make sure our fertilizer programs are complient and most efficient.  This reduces waste.	Cover Crops -  We plant winter crops to protect from winter erosion and runoff.  These crops also add organic matter to the soil when they are incorporated in to the ground.
Other practices include: Impoundment Ponds, Field Drains, and Energy Reduction programs.	Recipient:  Cooperator of the Year Award Kent Conservation District