Delaware Farming

Delaware’s agricultural traditions have helped define the state for generations. Farmers and millers were part of the Breadbasket of the Revolution, providing critically important wheat and flour for George Washington’s armies. In the 19th century, Delaware became known as the Peach State, shipping fresh peaches by rail to urban markets throughout the eastern United States. In 1855, the first cannery on the Delmarva Peninsula started operations in Dover, inaugurating a still viable and active agricultural industry. Sussex County, Delaware, is the birthplace of the modern broiler chicken industry, beginning with an accidental experiment on Cecile Steele’s Ocean View farm in 1923. This agricultural heritage continues; 42 percent of Delaware’s land mass remains in farms, despite significant land development since World War II.