Delaware State University- Small Farms Program

🎉 Celebrating a Well-Deserved Retirement! 🎉

Today, we celebrated with Mike Wasylkowski as he begins an exciting new chapter—retirement after more than 20 years of dedicated service to Delaware State University Cooperative Extension! 🌱🚜
Throughout his career with DSU’s Small Farms Program, Mike has made a lasting impact through his dedication to agriculture, farmers, colleagues, and the communities we serve. His knowledge, hard work, and commitment to Extension have been greatly appreciated by so many over the years.
Mike, thank you for your many years of service and for all you have contributed to DSU Cooperative Extension. Your presence will certainly be missed, but we wish you nothing but happiness, relaxation, and plenty of new adventures in retirement!
Please join us in congratulating Mike on a career well served and a retirement well earned! 🎊👏
Happy Retirement, Mike! 💙❤️
Michael Wasylkowski

More photos at the DSU Small Farms Demonstration at the DSU Outreach and Research Center in Smyrna DE.

CELEBRATING AGRICULTURE, COMMUNITY & THE FUTURE OF FARMING!
3rd Annual Mid-Atlantic Black Farmers Conference & 2nd Annual Delaware Farm Crawl
August 28–29, 2026
Theme: “Rooted in Legacy. Powered by Land. Built for the Future.”
Delaware State University Cooperative Extension was proud to partner with the Mid-Atlantic Black Farmers Caucus (MABFC) for an exciting two-day celebration of agriculture, entrepreneurship, food access, wellness, culture, and community!
The 2026 event brought together farmers, agricultural professionals, community members, food advocates, entrepreneurs, educators, and supporters of local agriculture from across the region.
Highlights included:
Women in Agriculture Wellness Session – 12 women participated in an interactive session focused on work-life balance, wellness, resilience, networking, and opportunities for value-added agricultural enterprises.
MABFC Conference – 90 participants engaged in discussions and presentations covering Food Is Medicine, seed stewardship, protecting Black farms, urban and rural agriculture, community food systems, agricultural innovation, and the use of Artificial Intelligence in agricultural outreach.
DSU Cooperative Extension Demonstration – 60 participants visited the DSU Smyrna Outreach and Research Center, where they explored specialty and ethnic crops, small ruminants, aquaculture, high tunnels, organic production, drone applications, mini-farm plots, and the agricultural plots of 14 DSU Farm School graduates.
Farm School Impact – Approximately 30% of the farms visited during the Farm Crawl were owned or managed by DSU Farm School graduates, demonstrating the impact of agricultural education and entrepreneurship training.
Delaware Farm Crawl – More than 150 participants visited six farms and agricultural sites throughout New Castle County. Participants toured farms, volunteered, met producers, learned about innovative production systems, and purchased local agricultural products.
Economic Impact – Participating farms generated approximately $4,500 in direct sales from products purchased by Farm Crawl attendees.
Agriculture Meets Culture & Fashion – The weekend concluded with a unique fashion show featuring designers Alia Collins, a DSU Clothing and Textiles student, and Xanda Hucklebury, a farmer and designer whose work reflects her family's agricultural heritage.
The weekend was a powerful reminder that agriculture is more than farming—it is about people, culture, health, economic opportunity, education, and community.
Delaware State University Cooperative Extension extends sincere appreciation to MABFC, the participating farmers, presenters, volunteers, DSU faculty and staff, students, community partners, and everyone who attended and helped make this event a success.
Together, we are honoring our agricultural legacy while building a stronger and more sustainable future.

Photo Credit: Mid-Atlantic Black Farmers Caucus

Rooted in Legacy. Powered by Land. Built for the Future.


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Join Delaware Cooperative Extension on Tuesday, August 25, for two FREE, back-to-back educational workshops designed to help farmers strengthen their operations—from financial planning to field management!

📍 DSU Smyrna Outreach & Research Center
884 Smyrna-Leipsic Rd., Smyrna, DE

🕒 3:00–5:30 PM | Cultivating Success: From Financial Planning to Field Diversification

Topics will include:
• Crop insurance
• Economic planning for beginning farmers
• Farm diversification
• Cover crops in vegetable systems
• Farmer Q&A and more!

🌿 5:30–8:00 PM | Cultivating Success Through Integrated W**d Management

Continue the evening with Dr. Amaranatha R. Vennapusa for an educational workshop focused on integrated w**d management and practical strategies for your farm.

Come for one session or make an evening of it and join us for both workshops!

✅ Both workshops are FREE. Registration is required, so be sure to scan the QR codes on the flyers to register.

Two workshops. One evening. More tools to help your farm cultivate success!

What a wonderful day of learning and networking with participants from the DSU Small Farms Program! 🌱🚜

We recently had the opportunity to tour several markets across Pennsylvania, giving farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs a firsthand look at successful marketing strategies.

The tour provided valuable insights into market operations, product presentation, customer engagement, and ways to add value to farm products. It was inspiring to see the innovation, dedication, and community partnerships that help these markets thrive.

Together, we continue to learn, grow, and strengthen opportunities for small farms and local agriculture.

Happy Earth Day! 🌎🌿
Today, DSU students and staff came together to care for our campus by cleaning up the woodland trail by removing invasive plants and clearing the path to make it more accessible for everyone to enjoy.

It’s amazing what we can accomplish when we work together to protect and restore our natural spaces. Here’s to keeping our campus beautiful, sustainable, and thriving for years to come! 💚