Delaware's Agriculture: Broilers in the First State
How the poultry industry impacts crop growth, provides economic gains, and increases pollution in the 1st State
Agriculture in Delaware
Ever since the first European settlers arrived more than three centuries ago, agriculture and farming have been an important part of both Delaware's survival and economy. This has been due to Delaware's prime location and fertile soils. As Ed Kee, former Secretary of Agriculture, states, "with a location that puts us within a day's drive from one-third of the US population and our highly productive soils, Delaware is positioned to be a foodshed for the Eastern United States."
Buying agriculture products in Delaware is within easy access for most Delawarians
Delaware is located on the East Coast, in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Delaware is divided into three counties: New Castle County as the northernmost county, Kent County in the center, and Sussex County as the southernmost county. Sussex County is ranked number 1 in broiler production in the United States and has the highest concentration of agriculture in Delaware.
Delaware is divided into three counties, with Sussex County having the land used for agriculture
The Census for Agriculture determined that Delaware's 2,300 farms were able to produce sales of approximately 1.5 billion dollars in 2017. Nationally, Delaware is also ranked first in the value of agricultural sales per farmland acre. During the census, this value was reported at close to $2,800 per acre. About 40% of the state’s land is committed to agricultural production. This makes it the largest land use in the state.
Delaware's agricultural production includes crops such as corn, soybeans, lima beans, watermelon, and more, but about 70% of agricultural production is poultry farming. Over 200 million broilers, which are chickens produced for meat, are raised each year in Delaware by approximately 600 industrial chicken farms.
Poultry and Crop Production
Corn is the number one crop produced in Delaware, with the highest production located in Sussex County. There are approximately 170,000 acres of farmland devoted to the production of corn in Sussex County alone. However, the corn produced is mostly not for human consumption, and instead “about 99 percent of the state's field corn goes to the poultry industry for poultry feed. The industry would take even more if we could give them more,” according to Gordon Johnson, an agriculture agent with University of Delaware Cooperative Extension.
Just as Sussex County is home to the majority of the poultry farms, most of the corn production is also found there. Sussex County farmers harvested almost 28 million bushels of corn in 2020. This creates a positive economic impact of close to $121 million dollars to Delaware's economy.
Since the 2017 Agricultural Census, there has been an increase of about 7 percent in farm acreage used for planting soybeans, which is Delaware's second most grown crop. This would mean roughly 160,000 acres of Delaware farmland was devoted to soybeans in 2021. Similar to corn, soybeans are primarily sold to the poultry industry for use as feed. With the growth of the poultry business, this would explain the increase in soybean planting. This further emphasizes the importance of poultry (specifically broilers) to the Delaware economy.
Despite corn and soybeans being the first and second most abundant crop grown, with over 330,000 acres of farmland devoted to its growth, Delaware still does not produce enough to feed all the broilers in Delaware. Currently, chickens outnumber Delaware residents 200:1. The broiler industry has a powerful impact on Delaware's economy and will continue to grow as advances in poultry farming improve.
Poultry and Jobs in Delaware
A study in 2016 by J. Dunham showed that direct employment by Delaware’s chicken industry results in 3,500 jobs. Another 2,900 positions on the supplier side have been created. Thousands of additional jobs are in the chicken processing companies, including big companies like Allen Harim, Mountaire, and Perdue Farms, which are all located in Sussex County. The map on the right shows some of the locations of these poultry farms.
Negative Effects of Poultry Farms
Although the First State sees many advantages from its agricultural practices, such as the employment opportunities, economic gains, and locally available cheaper food, there are some negative consequences of having such a concentrated amount of broilers being raised in Sussex County. Sussex County is close to many waterways that lead to the Delaware and Chespaeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean.
The poultry litter, which is the bedding used for chickens, consists of wood shavings, straw, and even peanut shells. After the chickens have been raised, the litter contains manure, feathers, and leftover feed. Most importantly, the manure contains agricultural nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. While this can be used as fertilizer for crops, due to the sheer number of broilers, they produce significantly more fertilizer than the farmer can use. The poultry farms then need to store and dispose of the litter. Studies have demonstrated that the litter stored in sheds or trenches can ultimately cause high levels of pollution as runoff from the storage areas and contaminate local waterways, including the Delaware Bay. Higher than normal amounts of nutrients cause eutrophication, leading to the deaths of large populations of fish. This is due to hypoxia/anoxia. The large volumes of waste produced by chicken farming are also associated with elevated health risks for nearby residents of the farms and processing plants because poultry by-products typically contain pathogens from their contaminated blood, flesh, and excrement.
The polluted runoff from these chicken farms negatively impacts the waterways in Delaware, due to their close proximity with one another. The chance of exposure to waterborne contamination as a result of chicken waste can occur during water recreation, or during the consumption of polluted groundwater or surface drinking water.
Addressing Concerns
The University of Delaware, among others, have attempted to decrease the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus in the chicken manure through studies aimed to help stem the pollution in the Delaware waterways.
The poultry farms' locations, unfortunately, provide very easy acccess for runoff to reach the main waterways. Research led by Dr. Saylor of the University of Delaware addresses how adding an enzyme called phytase to chicken meals "allows the birds to digest more phosphorus, leaving less to literally 'go to waste'". Studies such as these show alternative strategies to combat the issue of pollution runoff from these chicken farms. Another novel idea is the free mobile app, Littr, launched by the Delmarva Chicken Association. This app helps growers in Delaware who have poultry litter find customers that are looking for the valuable fertilizer. The state also provides cost-sharing programs to remove waste and decrease pollution. Most of the programs are voluntary, however.
While researchers at the University of Delaware and the state agencies are working on solutions to decrease the negative impact of the poultry farms, especially in regards to water pollution, it is important to analyze which group of residents' health and safety are affected at a disportionately higher rate than other groups in Sussex County.
Location and Poverty
While all of Delaware gains economically from the broiler production in the state, the map shows how people living in higher poverty areas are the ones to have the greatest impact of the negative consequences of pollution that affect their overall health and well-being.
How Mapping Helps
When assessing the environmental and health impact on placement of these farms and processing plants, it would be beneficial to use maps and the data available to see what the potential impacts on local air and water quality and human health would be. Delving into health complaints, water quality, and fish population numbers over the long term could then be used to see the effects and help with regulation.
Agriculture, especially relating to poultry farms, plays an important role in Delaware's economy. The benefits to the state of Delaware are numerous, and include jobs, food, and economic gains. The negative consequences are increased pollution, negative effects on human health, and other animals' health and safety. New technology and government cost sharing programs are only part of the solution. Further research into what groups of people are most impacted and how to better serve them need to be addressed in the future. Then all groups, without regard to socioenecomic status, can truly enjoy the beautiful state of Delaware.
Gordons Pond at Cape Henlopen State Park
