Agriculture is an important part of Delaware’s history, culture and economy. Many Delaware farmers utilize Best Management Practices (BMPs) and are enrolled in Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Department of Agriculture (USDA), or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) cost share programs that are environmentally friendly and minimize impacts to wildlife. Some agricultural practices, however, can be detrimental to wildlife and reduce available habitat.  

The Coastal Plain of Delaware is characterized by expansive and intensive agricultural production, primarily dominated by row crops, particularly corn and soybeans. In general, agricultural use is no longer expanding in the state, with farm acreage declining as residential development increases. Future direct conversion of habitat to agricultural production is likely to be mostly limited to cropping of previously uncropped and marginal areas on existing farms, at a rate that will likely be driven by commodity prices. 

Installation and maintenance of conservation practices on working lands can greatly benefit SGCN. However, placing land in these practices can be costly, so additional research documenting return on investment (ROI) for these practices is needed to help facilitate their adoption. 

Recent state and federal funding gaps have limited payment rate increases and capped enrollment acreage for land retirement and working-land conservation practices nationwide (Stubbs 2014). As of 2024, only 2,897 acres were enrolled in Delaware (USDA 2024). Policy actions are needed to ensure that land retirement practice enrollment remains stable or increasing despite high commodity prices.  

An emerging concept that may help address SGCN conservation more effectively via conservation practices on working lands is the spatial targeting of incentives to support landscape-scale conservation initiatives (Reed et al. 2014). The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is a cooperative program between USDA and state government to improve and protect water quality of streams and wildlife habitat. The goal of the Delaware CREP is to add up to 10,000 acres to the CREP. Six practices are offered under the Delaware CREP: hardwood tree planting, permanent wildlife habitat, shallow water areas for wildlife, grassed filter strips, riparian buffers, and wetland restoration. These practices must adjoin impaired streams or contributing drainage ditches in designated project areas, unless they are creating shallow water areas. CREP combines state funding with federal NRCS funding to provide increased incentives for conserving these sensitive areas. For more information, visit https://dnrec.delaware.gov/watershed-stewardship/nps/crep/. 

At the state level, important programs that were previously available are no longer offered, largely due to lack of funding. One example of a successful incentive program is the Delaware Landowner Incentive Program (DELIP), which was administered by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife. From 2005 to 2012, 892.7 acres of agriculture land were converted to wildlife habitat, benefitting at least 10 Tier 1 and 29 Tier 2 SGCN identified in the 2006 DEWAP. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (now the Office of Conservation Investment) provided federal grant funds for states to protect and restore wildlife habitats on private lands. These grant funds, administered by DELIP, provided the funding for agricultural producers to take agricultural land out of production to establish and maintain specific types of wildlife habitat for species-at-risk (later termed SGCN) for a period of 5 or 10 years. In addition to establishment costs, DELIP provided the landowner yearly incentive payments for the duration of the contract. Unfortunately, funding is currently no longer available for this program.

Many of Delaware’s State Wildlife Areas (WAs) include leases to private operators for agriculture. Historically, hundreds of acres of agricultural land on WAs were removed from production for enrollment in CRP, and these areas have remained in permanent wildlife habitat once CRP contracts expired (the state is no longer eligible for CRP contracts under the current Farm Bill). Installation of buffers on all agricultural lands on WAs is nearly complete, and lease bidding now includes bonus points given for all BMPs that operators use. Some agricultural lands on wildlife areas may be sites for future habitat restoration for SGCN. 

Other forms of agriculture included in this issue category include silviculture, livestock and poultry, and aquaculture. Several forests, particularly in Kent and Sussex counties, are managed for timber production, and this type of management often selects for even-aged stands with reduced species diversity to maximize production efficiency. These plantations do not provide as high habitat quality for many SGCN as natural forests. DNREC, Delaware Forest Service, and the forest industry can work together to maximize forest acreage and health in Delaware and incorporate the conservation of SGCN wildlife into forest management whenever possible.  

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