Milton Christmas lighting display salutes 70 years of farming

An agriculture-themed holiday lighting display is turning heads in Milton this year.

Delaware Farm Bureau members James and Tammy Carpenter of Milton, James’ sister Kay Dukes, and their families decided they would not have idle farm equipment during the winter months.

Instead, they used their tractor and combines as an outline for their holiday lights.

The display features 4,000 feet of lights and can be seen from Carpenter Road in Milton. The lights will be on every night from 5 p.m. until midnight  through Sunday, Jan. 3. “Give us a honk as you drive by,” Tam Carpenter said. “And remember to give this same equipment consideration when it’s traveling down the road this summer.”

“We got the inspiration from social media, to be honest,” said Carpenter. “We wanted to bring the joy of Christ to our community in the midst of the challenges our country is facing.”

In its 70 years of farming, the Carpenter family operation has grown to farm more than 5,000 acres in Sussex County including sweet corn, soybeans, peas, lima beans and other products. Some of the family land has been placed in the farmland preservation program over the years as well.

The family was honored in January this year by the Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association of Delaware with an annual service award. In the past, the Carpenters have also been honored as Delaware Farm Bureau’s Farm Family of the Year.

According to Stacey Hofmann at Delaware’s Department of Agriculture, 99 percent of Delaware farms are family-owned.