Article written by Shannon Marvel McNaught posted 5 June 2026 for Delaware Online. See photos here.
Gregg and Stephanie Knutsen with their dairy cows in Harrington, Delaware, on May 13, 2026. Credit Shannon Marvel McNaught, Delaware News Journal
Despite the challenges of being one of only a dozen dairy farms left in Delaware, Knutsen Farms in Harrington has been named a Governor’s Conservation Award winner.
Gregg and Stephanie Knutsen employ a variety of best practices to protect and enhance the environment at the farm, according to the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts, and while that can potentially lead to more money saved or earned, the Knutsens don’t do it for the profit.
“My dad said to always leave things better than you found them,” Stephanie Knutsen said. “It’s just the right thing to do.”
It’s difficult for small farms such as theirs to compete with big business farms these days, Stephanie Knutsen said, so sustainability is the rule at Knutsen farms, where they not only milk over 50 cows a day but also tend to over 500 acres of crops.
Family farm, farm family
Both Stephanie (née Cannon) and Gregg Knutsen’s families have been farming for hundreds of years, and Knutsen Farms wouldn’t be possible without the resources passed down to them, Stephanie Knutsen said. The couple met at the University of Delaware. Gregg has a degree in animal science and runs the farm, while Stephanie has a degree in plant and soil science and works as a resource conservation specialist with the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
“You can’t sustain yourself on a small number of cows in Delaware. The only reason we’ve done it this long is we have other sources of income, (such as) crops and my job,” Stephanie Knutsen said. Part of the Knutsen Farms’ sustainability is its diverse profit model, which includes milk, raw milk, crops and some beef.
Dairy farming 101
The Knutsens breed competition-winning cows of several varieties, including black-and-white Holstein, red-and-white Holstein, Jersey and brown Swiss. “Holsteins produce the most milk … but you also get paid for butter fat and protein, and Jerseys and brown Swiss are higher in those components,” Stephanie Knutsen said.
Cows aren’t bred until they’re about a year-and-a-half old, Gregg Knutsen said, then it takes until they’re about 2 years old for the calves to be born. That’s two years of pure expense that a farmer hopes to earn back, and eventually make a profit on, with milk production. Typically, Gregg Knutsen spends a few hours every morning and afternoon milking about 50 cows, he said. Some cows on the farm are as old as 8 years, Gregg Knutsen said, but when they stop producing milk, they’re sold for meat.
Most of the Knutsens’ milk goes to the Dairy Farmers of America cooperative. A truck comes every other day to pump the milk and take it for pasteurization, which is the process of sterilizing milk. Both the Knutsens and the cooperative test their milk for bacteria, Stephanie Knutsen said. “It’s rare cows need antibiotics, but we can’t sell milk with antibiotics,” she added. The Knutsens also sell raw (or non-pasteurized) milk and were instrumental in legalizing its sale in Delaware. Even though they drink it themselves, the lack of a willing insurer means they must label it as “pet milk.” It’s available for purchase at rawgoodnessde.com.
Cows and conservation
Roofs, believe it or not, are a big part of conservation on the farm. Simply covering manure, as the Knutsens do, prevents runoff into soil and water. Additionally, all the manure produced on the farm is used as fertilizer. It’s stored in a tank, along with the water used to clean cow areas, and later pumped onto the fields. Farmers used to spread manure year-round, Stephanie Knutsen said, but in cold temperatures and without a cover crop, it would just leach into the ground. Now, storing manure and timing its use, as the Knutsens do, prevents that from happening.
Cover crops, which are typically clover or barley at Knutsen Farms, serve a variety of purposes, such as reducing erosion, improving soil health, absorbing nutrients and suppressing weeds. They’re seeded by plane. “No-till planting, where you don’t till to save soil health, prevents erosion and runoff,” Gregg Knutsen explained. It’s not just Knutsen Farms that plants cover crops. It’s common among farmers statewide, Stephanie Knutsen said.
“To me was a great honor to get (a Governor’s Conservation Award), because we are among tons of farmers who do great things all the time,” Stephanie Knutsen said.
