Delaware Farm Bureau holds 75th annual meeting
The Delaware Farm Bureau convened its annual meeting Dec. 3 at Modern Maturity in Dover with 64 delegates seated.
The delegates approved a few changes to the organization’s bylaws, including a change in the designation of non-farmer members to farm community members. Another change removes the requirement that only voting members may serve on committees, and another adds an additional class of “professionally engaged voting members,” recognizing Delawareans who want to be involved “because they simply love agriculture.”
James “Jay” Baxter IV, a Sussex County farmer, said, “We have the chance to tap into a flowing spring of wisdom and knowledge from our neighbors who are involved in agriculture but are not necessarily bona fide farmers. These individuals hold an opportunity to reach our neighbors and help support agriculture and a rural way of life which is crucial for us to pass on a viable, flourishing ag economy to our children.”
Robert Garey, who has served more than 20 years on the Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation, asked delegates to help spread the word that several young farmers who have already qualified for loans under the Young Farmers and Ranchers Program are looking for land to purchase.
“My push now, our push, is to try to find people up in age who don’t have someone to turn the farm over to, to tell them they do have the opportunity to sell their farm to this prospective new farmer, and their farm will be preserved in perpetuity,” Garey said.
He said sellers would not have to wait for Round 25 of the Aglands Preservation program to sell their property. “I insisted we set aside a money portion of the appropriation for the Young Farmers and Ranchers Program,” he said. If an individual qualifies, he or she can make the transition when the ground is available.
Walter Hopkins, chair of Farm Credit Foundation for Agricultural Advancement, presented a check for $10,000 to the Delaware Farm Bureau Foundation to be used for the Ag Lab.
Guest speaker was Dr. John Newton, chief economist at American Farm Bureau Federation, who provided an overview of the 2019 farm economy.
Director Joseph Poppiti reported on his first year. The organization recently received a USDA $39,000 specialty crop grant through the Delaware Department of Agriculture to promote Delaware ag products in 2020 and 2021. In cooperation with Nationwide, DFB was able to get a grain bin rescue tube for Harrington Fire Company. He detailed other successes, including increased presence on social media and in newspaper, radio and television reports.
Funds raised at the 5K Milk Run made possible a $10,000 donation to the Ministry of Caring to provide milk for children and a donation of $5,856 to the Food Bank of Delaware for its backpack program for at-risk kids.
