UD Cooperative Extension

08/26/2026

Horticulture: Hands-On Disease and Insect ID Workshop

Thursday, September 17, 4-6 pm.

Test your plant knowledge in this interactive workshop challenge. Participants will rotate through a series of stations featuring plant diseases, insect pests, and puzzling specimens. Using an answer sheet, you'll match each issue or plant to the correct station and see how many you can identify correctly. This workshop offers 1 CNP, 2 Pesticide, and 2 ISA CEU's.

Location: College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Room TBD, 531 S College Avenue, Newark, DE. Instructors: Jill Pollok, Brian Kunkel, and Carrie Murphy

Register now, pay later. Registration fee ($20.00) will be collected at workshop, cash or check made payable to University of Delaware.

Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/u/0/d/e/1FAIpQLSdCpajkzCzeL8TUn6BC9PgbctvaHaTFBng4PfQlvuVhUMZ2Fg/viewform?usp=send_form&pli=1&authuser=0

Contact Carrie Murphy with questions/concerns: (302) 831-1426 or [email protected]

08/19/2026

🥗Dining with Diabetes - New Castle County
Take the Stress Out of Your Diabetes Meal Plan!
Managing diabetes starts with what’s on your plate, but we know that’s often the hardest part. Join the UD Cooperative Extension for Dining with Diabetes, a 5-session program designed to help you reduce sugar, salt, and fat without sacrificing flavor!

Class 1: Mealtime Essentials
Class 2: Desserts (Yes, even desserts!) 🍰
Class 3: Main Dishes
Class 4: Side Dishes
Class 5: Seasonal Reunion

📅 When: Tuesdays, October 27, November 3, 10 and 17, 2026
Reunion date: February 23, 2027 (10 a.m. – 12 p.m.)
📍 Where: New Castle County Extension Office: 501 S College Ave, Newark, DE 19716
👥 Who: Anyone! People with diabetes, family members, and caregivers are all welcome.

✨ Generous funding from the Greater Milford Lions Club covers the $50 fee for residents of the Greater Milford area enrolled in this program. Please select the appropriate line on the registration form. (Limited seats available). State of Delaware Diabetes Self-Management Education Program, or Bayhealth Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support Program, can submit their voucher for free enrollment.

Please include your voucher with registration.
Learn more: http://www.udel.edu/0014915

Questions? Contact Kimberly Moore at 302-730-4000 or [email protected]

Following a careful meal plan is the first step in managing diabetes and keeping blood sugars in a therapeutic range. This is also the hardest step in diabetes management. Dining with Diabetes helps by teaching persons with diabetes ways to reduce sugar, salt, and fat in foods, without giving up goo...

08/19/2026

🥗Dining with Diabetes - Kent County
Take the Stress Out of Your Diabetes Meal Plan!
Managing diabetes starts with what’s on your plate, but we know that’s often the hardest part. Join the UD Cooperative Extension for Dining with Diabetes, a 5-session program designed to help you reduce sugar, salt, and fat without sacrificing flavor!

Class 1: Mealtime Essentials
Class 2: Desserts (Yes, even desserts!) 🍰
Class 3: Main Dishes
Class 4: Side Dishes
Class 5: Seasonal Reunion

📅 When: Wednesdays, October 7, 14, 21 and 28, 2026 (10 a.m. – 12 p.m.) Reunion: January 20, 2027
📍 Where: Paradee Center: 69 Transportation Circle, Dover, DE
👥 Who: Anyone! People with diabetes, family members, and caregivers are all welcome.

✨ Generous funding from the Greater Milford Lions Club covers the $50 fee for residents of the Greater Milford area enrolled in this program. Please select the appropriate line on the registration form. (Limited seats available). State of Delaware Diabetes Self-Management Education Program, or Bayhealth Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support Program, can submit their voucher for free enrollment.

Please include your voucher with registration.
Learn more: http://www.udel.edu/0014914

Questions? Contact Kimberly Moore at 302-730-4000 or [email protected]

ABOUT THE PROGRAM Following a careful meal plan is the first step in managing diabetes and keeping blood sugars in a therapeutic range. This is also the hardest step in diabetes management. Dining with Diabetes helps by teaching people with diabetes ways to reduce sugar, salt, and fat in foods, with...

08/19/2026

If you’ve ever wondered who is actually on the ground tackling the mental health and opioid crisis in our rural towns, meet Kim. 👇

After 11 years helping Delaware families eat healthy and live well with UD Cooperative Extension, Kim took on an important mission as an Extension Agent in Prevention Education back in 2023!

She’s leading outreach efforts through a federal grant to bring opioid prevention education and mental health resources to rural Delaware communities. From hosting community webinars to creating support tools, Kim is dedicated to making a difference where it's needed most.

Learn more about Kim's story and work. ⤵️ https://www.udel.edu/academics/colleges/canr/news/2023/february/kim-silva/

08/17/2026

Grow Your Farm. Strengthen Your Skills. Build Your Future.
Join the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension and Horizon Farm Credit for a hands-on educational program designed specifically for young and beginning farmers.

Event Details
📅 Date: Saturday, August 29
⌚Time: 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
📍 Location: 866 N. DuPont Hwy, Dover, DE 19901
💲 Cost: FREE (Registration Required)
🍽️ Lunch: Mission BBQ + refreshments provided

Why Attend
Whether you're just getting started or looking to expand your operation, this one-day program delivers practical insights you can immediately apply to your farm business.

You’ll gain:
A clearer understanding of crop insurance and risk management
Confidence in navigating financing and working with lenders
Practical knowledge of financial statements and tax structures
Strategies for smart, sustainable growth
The opportunity to network with other young and beginning farmers and industry leaders

Learn More and Register Here: https://www.horizonfc.com/events/young-and-beginning-farmer-program-ud

08/15/2026

Small & Beginning Farmers: Ready to grow your business with confidence? 🌾

Whether you are just launching your farm or looking to diversify your current operations, managing risk and planning your finances is the key to long-term success. Join Delaware Cooperative Extension for an invaluable evening workshop: Cultivating Success: Financial Planning to Field Diversification!

📍 Where: DSU Smyrna Outreach and Research Center (884 Smyrna-Leipsic Rd, Smyrna, DE)
📅 When: Tuesday, August 25, 2026 | 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
💰 Cost: FREE (includes a light dinner, but registration is required!)

What's on the Agenda:

-Introduction to Crop Insurance – Nate Bruce, University of Delaware
-Economic Planning for Beginning Farmers – Kofi Britwum, University of Delaware
-Produce Farm Diversification & Cover Crops for Vegetable Production – Lyndsie Mikkelsen, University of Delaware
-Open Q&A Session with local farmers... Plus more!

Take the guesswork out of farming economics and field management. Connect with experts and fellow growers to set your farm up for a thriving future.

🚨 RSVP Required: Secure your spot today by contacting Karen Adams at [email protected] / 302-856-7303 or register online directly!

🔗 Register Here: http://www.udel.edu/0014828
📧 Additional questions? Reach out to Nate Bruce at [email protected].

08/10/2026

4-H campers at Sussex County Day Camp got a hands-on (and delicious!) look into the world of pollinators, honeybees, and honey production with University of Delaware Extension Entomologist David Owens. The best part? Getting to taste the sweet rewards of their hard work!

Behind every drop of honey is an incredible amount of labor:

🌸 2 million flowers are visited to produce just ONE pound of honey.

🐝 400+ species of bees call Delaware home.

🌱 Most DE bees are solitary and specialists—meaning if their specific host plants vanish from the landscape, they can't survive.

Teaching the next generation to protect our pollinators starts with understanding just how connected we are to these tiny powerhouse workers.

Want to support our local bee species? Plant native flowers in your yard to keep their essential habitats alive! Learn more about pollinators here:
https://www.udel.edu/academics/colleges/canr/departments/entomology-and-wildlife-ecology/affiliated-centers/udapiary/

08/10/2026

✨ Ready to turn your home baking or jam-making passion into a legal business? ✨

If you want to prepare and sell non-hazardous foods (like delicious baked goods, jams, jellies, or preserves) right from your own kitchen in Delaware, this is the official training you need!

University of Delaware Extension is hosting the Food Safety Training for the Entrepreneur workshop this September. This two-day workshop and certification exam fulfill the food safety training requirements set by Delaware Public Health and the Delaware Department of Agriculture.

🗓️ When: September 8 & 10, 2026 (Must attend BOTH sessions)
⏰ Time: 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
📍 Where: Kent County Extension Office
💰 Fee: $60.00 per person

⚠️ Don't wait! Registration closes exactly one week prior to the event, and spaces are limited.
📅 Registration Deadline: September 1, 2026

👉 Learn more and register here: http://www.udel.edu/0014824
📧 Questions? Contact Dr. Adrienne Shearer at [email protected] or 302-831-0115.

08/07/2026

Attendees of University of Delaware Carvel Open House and Crop Tour — including current Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Don Clifton and former Delaware agriculture secretary and Extension specialist Ed Kee — gathered on our 347-acre campus in Georgetown. They took wagon tours of crop trial fields, engaged in lectures on agricultural economics and production topics, and learned updates about poultry health.

The event also welcomed UD Extension’s new Director, Mireille Chahine. We are so happy to have her first week at UD include this key agricultural outreach event at the Carvel Research and Education Center in Georgetown.
Thank you to all who joined us to learn, network, and support Delaware agriculture.

To learn more, visit: https://www.udel.edu/academics/colleges/canr/carvel/current-research/2026-field-crop-tours/

07/31/2026

The final days of the Delaware State Fair are approaching. Remember to stop in to say hello to Delaware Cooperative Extension!