While managing a dairy farm can be quite time-consuming, a fairly large group took time out of their busy schedules to attend the 2009 Delmarva Dairy Day in Hartly, Delaware. Approximately 150 participants including exhibitors, presenters, farmers and agricultural specialists turned out for this event on February 18 at the Hartly Fire Hall. The event, hosted by the University of Delaware, brought in speakers from the University of Illinois; Madison, Wisconsin; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and more.

    The topics ranged from disaster assistance for crops, to working lands conservation programs to proper management of cow bedding, manure storage and utilization, and more.

    The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) partnered with the Kent County Conservation District to showcase conservation-related information. The display, staffed by district employees Lauren Bather, Kerin Walsh and Chris Breeding, highlighted various benefits of the partnership’s conservation programs and services.

    The partnership proved successful as district employees spoke with a number of participants who visited the booth to find out more about conservation assistance—both technical and financial. NRCS provided information on the new 2008 Farm Bill, while the districts provided numerous fact sheets on available state cost-share opportunities.

    For more information on the 2009 Delmarva Dairy Day, please contact Limin Kung, Jr., 302-831-2524 or via email at lksilage@udel.edu.