Delaware Nature Society Program Guide and Newsletter September - December 2017 | Page 5

Over the past year, Delaware Nature Society embarked on
a comprehensive master planning process for Coverdale
Farm Preserve. Our findings were exciting and revolutionary.
Not only will we continue to enhance the way people
connect to their food, we will further enhance how our
land management practices, specifically through the act of
regenerative agriculture, can have a profound and positive
impact on the environment.
Many people may know Coverdale Farm through the
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) or the wonderful
farm-to-school education programs we offer to thousands
of visiting school children, families and community groups.
We have nearly 20 years practice and experience leading
the region in farm education programs. Our more than
25 years of careful land management practices in the
adjoining nature preserve areas (the highest form of land
conservation) is an influencing factor of why farming should
contribute to conservation and a healthier environment.
With the implementation of Coverdale Farm Preserve’s
new master plan, these important practices will not only
stay intact, they will be deepened and further developed
to support a changing climate and growing community.
What you may see changing soon, are new ways in
which we will contribute to the local food system. We’ll be
adapting our farming methods to work in concert with
natural ecosystems, blending the lines between the nature
preserve and our agriculture lands; we will institute
regenerative agriculture methods (rotational grazing,
which utilizes livestock in a leader-follower system, benefiting
the health of the animals, and the soil); and we will begin
offering more adult programs, including beginning and urban
farmer programs, aimed at raising a new generation of
farmers to support a growing, healthy population.
Over the next two years, we will begin to implement some
practices that will be noticeable on the farm. Here is a
snapshot of some new components we’ve begun this year.
Through a generous grant from the Delaware Department
of Agriculture we were able to expand our vegetable
production and develop programming for beginning and
urban farmers. A series of workshops including high tunnel
construction, specialty crop, soil health, integrated pest
management techniques, and season extension have
been offered to new, urban, beginning, and transitioning
farmers. The addition of two new high tunnels will allow
us to experiment and refine our techniques in protective
growing and season extension. This will result in new,
delicious varieties of heirloom tomatoes, and traditionally
out-of-season crops continuing through winter (peppers,
eggplants, tomatoes).
Building on the success of our previous year’s mobile
chicken houses (“Egg-mobiles”), we have launched a
pasture-raised turkey program. With generous funding
from our friends Bob Kleszics and Karen Ashley of
Harvest Market, we are expanding our rotational bird
grazing to include a variety of conventional and heritage
breeds of turkeys. They will be ready in time to adorn
the harvest at your holiday celebrations. After consulting
with our friend, Dean Carlson at Wyebrook Farm,
we constructed some hoop-framed turkey houses that
will be integrated into our grazing plans, following the
cows and sheep.
Perhaps one of the most important elements of our master
plan implementation is through the integration of the leader-
follower system, and the introduction of the leaders – our
Red Devon cows. This spring, we consulted with a brilliant