From the President’s desk
Advocating for a better future with the Farm Bureau
With every election, the United States reaches another milestone. Another four years has moved passed us in spite of the ever-changing environment in which we find ourselves.
The last presidential election, in 2016, brought hot topics to the table for the agriculture industry such as biotechnology, international trade, immigration and the Clean Water and Endangered Species acts.
We continue to discuss these issues in 2020. Progress takes time, leadership and motivation. Some of these issues have seen positive movements over the past four years thanks, in part, to dedicated advocates from the Farm Bureau. International trade, for example, was greatly impacted when President Donald Trump signed the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement earlier this year affording us new and unique trade opportunities which previously did not exist.
Membership with the Farm Bureau helps us stay better connected and unified as one voice toward a better future. The issues we face as farmers and ranchers are heard by our county, state and national boards and are advocated for constantly with bipartisanship in mind. Many of these issues are discussed in more detail on the American
Delaware Farm Bureau News
Editor Jennifer Antonik jenn.antonik@defb.org
Delaware Farm Bureau News (ISSN 10770798), published in Camden, DE, bimonthly, by Delaware Farm Bureau. Production by Delaware Printing Company. Periodicals postage paid at Camden, DE and additional offices.
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Pushing forward as the 2020 election concludes, we continue to see the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that still has businesses, restaurants and schools operating in limited capacities. It has vastly changed how the agriculture industry is viewed and used – those groups that shut down suddenly are key consumers of agricultural products. We have had to work hard on more legislative issues such as food system resiliency and aid packages to ensure our farmers and ranchers are taken care of and food continues to reach everyone in the midst of these uncertainties.
Regardless of the issues at hand or who leads our nation toward future successes, the Farm Bureau knows it takes a bipartisanship effort to take care of the farmers and ranchers who in turn take care of us. Our work, your involvement, is important and needed.
I am especially proud of the work done by the Farm Bureau in helping voters stay informed throughout the election process. The American Farm Bureau Federation used its national iFarmiVote campaign to educate voters all over the country about everything from voter registration to how their local and national candidates felt on various agricultural-related topics.
Voters could visit fb.org/advocacy/vote to view their registration status, polling place or local election rules. They could also find information on absentee ballots, an important option for those who cannot vote in person.
The iFarmiVote campaign also included information on not just national political candidates, but local candidates, too. AFBF worked hard to include as much information as they possibly could find so our community, not just our members, could enter an informed vote this
year.
That kind of knowledge is powerful in the hands of millions of voters. I’m proud of our organization for that level of inclusion. The Farm Bureau truly seeks to be a positive, unified voice that hopes to feed our future with not just food, but knowledge, too.
Shortly after the heat of the election settles, Farm Bureau members will take some time to gather and learn how to continue growing our efforts by attending the annual national convention. Like much of 2020, the upcoming convention will be nothing like we’ve seen before. It will be virtual – and free to members. Keep checking the Weekly Digest or Fresh from the Farm Bureau e-newsletters each Friday for more details.
I hope you take the time in January to get excited about the work of the Farm Bureau by attending at least one session offered in this year’s national convention. It’s certainly not the same as gathering around the same table face-to-face, but I hope this opportunity will give others the chance to learn and get involved at our local level.
At the Delaware Farm Bureau, we are gearing up for our seventh annual 5K Milk Run/Walk to be held Saturday, Nov. 21 at 9 a.m. benefiting the Delaware Farm Bureau Foundation, the Ministry of Caring’s Milk for Children Fund and the Food Bank of Delaware’s Backpack program. Come support our Foundation and these great causes. For more information or to register as a participant or silent hero, visit us online at defb.org/milkrun.
We are also preparing our annual meeting to be held in-person at the Modern Maturity Center in Dover Tuesday, Dec. 1. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only Farm Bureau leadership and delegates will be able to attend. As always, however, we will bring you all of the exciting news in our newsletters, on our Website and in the next issue of the Delaware Farm Bureau News.
Take a moment to think about how you can get yourself and others involved in the work of the Farm Bureau. We are only as strong as our members! Vote, be present and learn everything you can. We are stronger together.
Delaware Farm Bureau
President Richard Wilkins
Camden teen chosen as Delaware Farm Bureau Ambassador
By Jennifer Antonik
Olivia Gaines, a Caesar Rodney High School senior, has been chosen as this year’s Ambassador for the Delaware Farm Bureau.
In school, she is pursuing the animal science pathway and participates in many extra-curricular activities. As the Delaware Farm Bureau Ambassador, she will also begin to attend events with the organization like the annual meeting, women’s committee events or the Delaware State Fair as a volunteer in the Delaware Farm Bureau food or informational booths to earn a $1,000 scholarship.
“It’s like promoting agriculture a lot. Ag gets a lot of bad reps from people, but it truly is a great thing. It’s very important. You need agriculture; it’s at the basis of everything,” she said. “I like being active in the industry and the state. This would be a great outlet for that.”
Gaines found her love for agriculture from her family farm in Camden. She also shows livestock, serves as the president for the Westville 4-H Club, is an active member of the FFA at CRHS and has leadership roles in her cross country, swim, lacrosse and track and field teams. She plans on attending medical school after college in hopes of becoming a nutritionist or OB-GYN.
Last year, she received a Governor’s award for community service by completing more than 150 hours of community service activities such as volunteering to ring the Salvation Army bell during the holidays and cleaning up local beaches.
“I like to help other people. I feel like helping other people makes everything better. If I can help somebody else, that’s a good day,” she said. “And I really wouldn’t be the same person I am today if I had not been involved in 4-H and livestock showing. It taught me a lot of discipline and respect. It taught me empathy and determination.”
Delaware Farm Bureau State Women’s Committee Chair Mary B. Gooden said the ambassador program is another great way for youth to become involved in Delaware’s agriculture industry.
“The ambassador is a representative of, of course, the Delaware Farm Bureau, but also of Delaware agriculture. They’re just the younger generation as the older generation begins stepping down. They are carrying the word of agriculture,” Gooden said. “We have the ambassador program in place to send out the agriculture story to the public.”
Gaines will be the Delaware Farm Bureau ambassador throughout the 2020-2021 school year. Information and applications for next year’s ambassador program can be found online at defb.org.
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Place your ad in the Delaware Farm Bureau News and reach nearly 4,000 members! Contact the Delaware Farm Bureau at (302) 697-3183 or email the editor at jenn.antonik@defb.org for more information!
Delaware Farm Bureau Foundation to hold 7th annual 5K Milk Run/Walk with TriSports Events
By Jennifer Antonik
The Delaware Farm Bureau Foundation is hosting its 7th annual 5K Milk Run/Walk this November to benefit the Food Bank of Delaware and the Ministry of Caring.
The event facilitated by TriSports Events was created by the New Castle County Farm Bureau to raise needed funds for the Ministry of Caring’s Milk for Children fund which impacts children in upstate Delaware. Funding also benefited the Middletown Neighborhood House in the past. With about 100 participants, it expanded last year to include both the Ministry of Caring and the Food Bank of Delaware’s Backpack Program, reaching children across the state.
“The race was put on by TriSports Events which is run by Ray Parker. He’s a good friend of ours and he does a good job putting these races on,” Andrew Jakubowitch said. “Having the Farm Bureau there was an added bonus because they did a good job putting the race on. They had amenities before and after the race, including ice cream which was good.
Jakubowitch and his wife, Erin, both ran in last year’s event and took home the overall male and female winners awards respectively. They have not been active in the racing scene this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he said they are excited to race again.
“I’ve been racing for about 35 years; she’s been racing since about 1990, so ten years. We travel, race and that kind of thing all over the place. Usually, I’ll finish the race and I’ll jog back to cheer her on. She’s usually not that far behind me,” he said. “This race was well organized last year, and it’s run by a local, small business. We like supporting that. And the course was decent. It’s a good use of the county’s resources and paved trails. The venue is nice, too, Buffalo Wild Wings. We could stay and have beers and wings after the race.”
Cowbell awards topped off a successful race for the Jakubowitch’s
Last year's 5K Milk Run/Walk winners celebrate their accomplishments in front of the Buffalo Wild Wings sign in Dover. This year's event will be held Saturday, Nov. 21. For more information or to sign up as a participant or silent here, visit defb.org/milkrun.
and other racers last year, he said.
To date, about $95,000 has been raised to benefit the Ministry of Caring’s Milk for Children Fund, the Middletown Neighborhood House and the Food Bank of Delaware’s Backpack Program. This year’s event will be held Saturday, Nov. 21 rain or shine. Runners and walkers will gather at Buffalo Wild Wings located at 680 Bay Road in Dover with the 5K event beginning promptly at 9 a.m before traveling the flat, scenic rural landscape of the St. Jones Isaac Branch Trail. A Healthy Kids Run begins at 8:50 a.m. Anyone wishing to support the cause but does not want to participate as a walker
or runner, can sign up as a silent hero.
Registration is $25 through Saturday, Nov. 14, or $30 after and on the day of event. To register online, visit TriSportsEvents. com. Checks can be made payable to the Delaware Farm Bureau Foundation, mailed to TriSports at 2772 Hazlettville Road, Dover, DE, 19904.
All registered participants will receive a Milk Run 5K Run/Walk Performance Tech shirt. Awards will also be given out to include ribbons for all Kiddie K participants and unique cow bell awards for the overall male, female and master’s winners. Other awards
will include the top three male and female runners in age-specific groupings.
“The Food Bank of Delaware is proud to partner with the Delaware Farm Bureau on the Milk Run again this year. It is vitally important to have community partners that are supportive of the mission of ‘ensuring a community free of hunger,’” Chad Robinson of the Food Bank of Delaware said. “We appreciate the constant commitment of the Farm Bureau in ensuring access to healthy, fresh produce for those in need, as well as all the dairy farmers who make the Milk Run successful and support our efforts.”
Delaware Farm Bureau announces scholarship awardees for 2020-2021 school year
By Jennifer Antonik
The Delaware Farm Bureau is proud to announce scholarship winners for the 2020-2021 school year.
Maci Carter of Harrington, a Lake Forest High School graduate, is the State Women’s Committee scholarship awardee set to receive $2,500. She plans to attend the University of Delaware majoring in agriculture and natural resources and minoring in plant science. She also received a $1,000 scholarship from the Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee along with a Sussex Technical High School graduate Shannon O’Hara of Milford. O’Hara will attend Stevenson University in Maryland to study business communications.
The Delaware Farm Bureau county-led Women’s Committees also awarded $1,000 scholarships this year.
Dylynn Cubbage of Hartly, a Caesar Rodney High School graduate headed to Delaware State University to study agriculture education and animal science, earned a
scholarship from the Kent County Women’s Committee.
Goodwin K. Cobb of Glasgow, a Newark Charter High School graduate headed to the University of Delaware for mechanical engineering, earned a scholarship from the New Castle County Women’s Committee. He is also interested in minoring in political science or finance.
Blair Hill of Lewes, a Cape Henlopen High School graduate and Virginia Tech student studying animal and poultry science, earned a scholarship from the Sussex County Women’s Committee.
Cobb also earned a $1,000 scholarship from the New Castle County Farm Bureau, as well as Middletown High School graduate Helena Kirk of Townsend and Cab Calloway School of the Arts graduate Madison Cook of Newark. Kirk plans to attend college to study construction management and Cook is a Norwich University student studying international studies, Spanish and leadership.
The Sussex County Farm Bu-
reau awarded $250 scholarships to Shannon O’Hara, Sussex Technical High School graduate Megan Moriarty of Millsboro, Cape Henlopen High School graduate Alexandra Wilson of Lewes and WaterGirl Farm Academy graduate Lake Vasey of Milford. Moriarty is headed to Liberty University to study nursing and global studies. Vasey will study theater and costume design at Temple University and Wilson will continue to play field hockey at the University of Mary Washington.
The Kent County Farm Bureau awarded $500 each to Lake Forest High School graduate Alexa Bow-
man of Felton with the Beatrice Gooden Memorial Scholarship and Smyrna High School graduate Jessica Bergold of Clayton with the Hubert Cannon Memorial Scholarship. Bowman plans to attend the University of Delaware for biomedical engineering and animal science studies. Bergold will also be headed to the University of Delaware where she will study elementary education.
For more information about the Delaware Farm Bureau or upcoming scholarship opportunities, please visit defb.org.
Success
Delaware Aglands Foundation to extend district enrollment
The Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation voted to extend district enrollment until Dec. 31 to any agricultural landowners who want to preserve their farms. These landowners will have the opportunity to apply for Round 25 in 2021. Before the landowner can submit a bid to sell an easement, the farm must be enrolled in a preservation district.
According to the Delaware AgLands Preservation Program, 201 landowners have submitted bids to sell development rights in the last two years. Of the bids submitted, the Foundation accepted 85 percent for easement purchase. The Foundation uses an impartial discount ranking system that maximizes benefits for the taxpayer. Bids are ranked and selected using the funding available for each year. If a landowner’s bid is selected for easement, the Foundation does not own the land, but rather purchases the landowner’s development rights. Then a permanent agricultural conservation easement is placed on the property.
“Landowners who sell their development rights benefit by pulling value out of their land and receiving a payment now. This money can be reinvested in the farm operation or used to purchase more cropland,” said Jimmy Kroon, Aglands Preservation Program Administrator. “On the other hand, some farmers preserve their farmland before passing it onto the next generation to ensure it will be farmed for the long run.”
For more information or to obtain applications, visit agriculture.delaware.gov or call (302) 698-4530.
The Foundation’s Board of Trustees includes representatives from agriculture and state agencies. Trustees are: Mark Collins, chairman; Bill Vanderwende, vice-chairman; L. Allen Messick Jr., treasurer; William H. “Chip” Narvel Jr., secretary; Secretary of Agriculture Michael T. Scuse; State Treasurer Colleen C. Davis; Secretary of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Shawn Garvin; Peter Martin; Theodore P. Bobola Jr.; Robert Emerson; and Janice Truitt.
Livestock Taskforce started to discuss needs in Delaware
The Delaware Farm Bureau has started a Livestock Taskforce to better understand the need for an additional federally inspected processing plant, regulations involved, costs, and best practices for a processing plant. Information collected from this taskforce will help educate government officials and legislators on this supply chain issue for agriculture in Delaware. Grants are available to study this need, and the potential market to propose a solution. There is also a bill in the U.S. Congress that would provide forgivable loans to help custom processors upgrade to a federal inspected facility.
What Delaware Farm Bureau has heard from our livestock farmers is that during the spring of this year, COVID-19 outbreaks forced many of the nation’s largest meatpacking plants to close including four in neighboring Pennsylvania. These plant closures meant no buyers for livestock at local sales barns.
As grocery shelves were being emptied by panic buying, Delawareans like many Americans, were searching for local sources of meat. But the local meat processing facility in Delaware and on Maryland’s Eastern Shore quickly became booked with additional times well into next year.
It became frustrating for Delaware farmers when they couldn’t process their locally raised animals and had customers who wanted to buy it.
While the large meat packing plants throughout the country have reopened and meats are available on supermarkets shelves, the sign of hope to livestock farmers during this COVID-19 pandemic is the attention it brought to the challenges in the local food supply chain.
As Delaware farmers tell us, the interest in locally raised fruits, vegetables and meats has grown throughout Delaware. This interest skyrocketed during the early
days of the pandemic and has remained strong. Unfortunately, for farmers who raise livestock, Delaware has only one USDA meat inspection processing plant. The lack of an additional federal meat processing facility has caused farmers to travel out of state to processing plants that also have schedules that are a year out. This obstacle in the meat processing food supply chain has limited Delaware farmers when they could be expanding their herd and
supply the increased demand for local raised meat.
The options for Delaware farmers are not sustainable since they must haul their livestock further away from their farm, sell at auctions, or reduce their herd size to meet the processing schedule availability.
If this meat processing issue is of interest to you, contact the Delaware Farm Bureau at 302-6973183 to join the Livestock Taskforce to work on a solution.
Gov. Carney honors National Farm Safety, Health Week
In honor of National Farm Safety and Health Week celebrated September 20-26, Delaware Farm Bureau staff and volunteers organized a proclamation from Delaware's Governor John Carney.
June Unruh, New Castle County Women's Committee chair and member of the Promotions and Education Committee, made the first call to Mikayla Paul at the DEFB office, suggesting the proclamation.
"I was not aware of National Farm Safety and Health Week before seeing it on Facebook. By then, there wasn't time really to plan any activities, but we could at least reach out and ask about it," Unruh said. "It's something we should do to honor our farmers. So, the state gave them a shout out and we let them know how much the Delaware Farm Bureau appreciates them."
The proclamation was signed by Gov. Carney and Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long and offered a glimpse of the importance behind National Farm Safety and Health Week.
"We acknowledge and celebrate all local Delaware farmers, and their pivotal role in providing food for the state of Delaware. . .," the proclamation reads.
Unruh added, "They all work together to make our state a great state. And I know they
endure many challenges doing that, doing their jobs, so it’s very important that they continue to work very hard for their safety and
their health.
The full proclamation can now be seen at the DEFB office.
American Farm Bureau’s 102nd Convention goes virtual
The American Farm Bureau Federation's 102nd Annual Convention will be held online this year.
“Our top priority at every Farm Bureau gathering is the safety of our attendees and staff,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said. “While we are saddened to not meet in person for this convention, we are eager to bring this event safely to farm and ranch homes across the country and excited to offer the same top-level content our members have come to expect from our in-person events.”
The 2021 American Farm Bureau Virtual Convention, to be held Jan. 10-13, 2021, will bring together farmers, ranchers and industry experts to discuss the top issues facing agriculture, including the impact of COVID-19, sustainability and the future of the supply chain, and will feature keynote
speakers who inspire and motivate grassroots action. This free online event will bring home American Farm Bureau Convention favorites from the Ag Innovation Challenge and YF&R competitions to the Ag Foundation Book of the Year and the anticipated Farm Dog of the Year.
“Our convention theme this year is ‘Stronger Together,’” Duvall said. “I can think of nothing more fitting to spotlight how the agriculture community has come together keep growing the products our nation depends on while supporting our friends and neighbors throughout this public health crisis.”
Registration for the 2021 American Farm Bureau Virtual Convention will open later this year and will be free to all attendees. Further details on the event can be found at fb.org/events.
Local farmers feed families during the pandemic
By Jennifer Antonik
Farmers in Delaware have been teaming up all year to feed community members in need through the Farmers to Families program.
The program began in May to help relieve some of the issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
It wasn't too long afterward that fifth-generation Vincent Farms in Laurel, DE, won government bids, obligating themselves to make and distribute 1.1 million boxes of fresh food, knowing fellow farmers in the area would be there to help supply the products.
Boxes were eventually delivered to local food banks and other organizations along the East Coast, including Delaware, to further distribute to community members in need.
"Programs like these have always been there, but it was ramped up because of all the COVID-19 stuff which is great. Don't give them extra unemployment money, give them something to eat," Brent Holtz of Clayton said.
Holtz sold potatoes to Vincent Farms and did other tasks to help ensure the boxes were successfully crafted and transported in time to meet the demand. Jumping in on the program with Vincent Farms was instrumental in getting his Delaware-grown products sold during the pandemic, he added.
In Holtz's favor, this round of boxes for the Farmers to Families program required 10 lbs. of root product per box along with other items such as protein and dairy products..
"About 30% of our products run through the food service program or restaurants. And, of course, those places closed earlier this year," Holtz said. "So, small scale wise, the Farmers to Families program is a huge help in getting rid of product."
He praised Vincent Farms for their contribution to the program.
The Vincent's weren't new to the program, however. They participated in an earlier Farmers to Families round this year, organizing the provision of 300,000 boxes of agriculture products delivered to food banks in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
“It’s just an incredible opportunity for us, really,” Ray Vincent told the Delmarva Farmer back in August. “I’m glad we didn’t cut back.”
Vincent Farms has been interviewed by numerous other local media outlets, as well, honoring their involvement in the program. They even entertained a visit from U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) in July.
“In this time of crisis, the federal government and our local organizations working together with local farms to get healthy, fresh produce
"I give him a lot of credit. To take on that type of contract through the government, too, it's a lot to handle. And the government doesn't want to hear, 'No, I can't do it,'" Holtz said.
to Delawareans is critical,” Senator Carper said. “I’m so proud of this program and the fifth generation family farm – Vincent Farms – for its work to keep fresh, healthy food on our tables.”
Paul Cartanza, Jr. of Dover's Shadybrook Farms helped provide potatoes for the program, too, as well as other needs as they arose.
"It happened relatively quickly. I was put in touch with Ray Vincent. I said, 'I'd really like to help, but I don't have much crew here.' And Ray said, 'It's okay. Just get me enough for the week.' And that was the start," Cartanza said. "[U.S. Secretary of Agriculture] Sonny Perdue was visiting. And Ray wanted to have mostly Delaware products in front of Sonny when he came."
The COVID-19 pandemic meant Shadybrook Farms was already operating with less crew members than needed due to visa issues. So Cartanza called the family for help.
He was surprised that night with a photo of Sec. Perdue with a bag of potatoes from Shadybrook Farms during his visit.
"It was nice to know that it's going somewhere. The way the government put this program together, it really helped everyone this year. We knew we were safe. We were going to get paid for our products," Cartanza said. "I'm just grateful that it was there. It was a very good deal for us. It helped us out tremendously on a year when we were battling the weather and everything else. For that program to be there and in place, it just really helped. It was a very good experience."
"I told my uncle and he said I'm crazy, which is normal," he chuckled. "But then my uncle called his daughters and they brought their families up. We graded the potatoes in the packing house, packed them in the bags and was able to deliver two pallets, I guess was the first order."
Women's Committee to support Wreaths Across America program
The Delaware Farm Bureau's Women's Committee is supporting the national Wreaths Across America program this year.
The committee will be asking individuals to purchase a wreath from Wreaths Across America to be placed on the Delaware Veterans Cemetery in Millsboro.
If any family has a veteran in their family, they can specify to which cemetary their wreath will be sent.
The wreaths are $15.00 each. The Women’s Committee will receive $5.00 for each wreath bought. All orders must be in by November 30.
All check should be made out to Wreaths Across America and sent to Connie Fox at 809 New Street, Milford, DE, 19963. They will be sent all together to Wreaths Across America December 1.
For more information, call the office at 302-697-3163.
National Farmers’ Day celebrated with radio salute
By Jennifer Antonik
The Delaware Farm Bureau celebrated National Farmers’ Day this year with a twist.
The non-profit teamed up with the Delaware Department of Agriculture, Delaware Soybean Board and Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. to provide a daylong radio campaign on iHeartMedia stations WDSD, WRDX, WILM and WDOV which aired Monday, Oct. 12.
Topics for the 10 radio messages included sustainability, the Read It and Eat grant which allowed the Delaware Farm Bureau to place book barns with accurate agriculture books in local elementary schools, the 7th annual 5K Milk Run and Walk for the Delaware Farm Bureau Foundation which benefits the Food Bank of Delaware and the Ministry of Caring, the iFarm/iVote campaign and more.
With a vibrant agriculture industry right here in the First State, it was important to take a day and acknowledge the hard work done by local farmers. National Farmers’ Day was a great opportunity to do just that.
"Cooperation was a founding
principle of Farm Bureau and remains an integral part of our mission. What better way to celebrate National Farmers’ Day than to highlight that value with a collaborative effort between farming organizations,” Delaware Farm Bureau President Richard Wilkins said.
“We all support this vibrant industry in Delaware. I hope the public can listen in to the campaign and join us in honoring our farmers and ranchers."
James Fisher of Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. said of the opportunity to celebrate farmers, “Delmarva’s family farmers raising chickens work hard to make sure our families are fed, and they do it while always safeguarding the environment we all care for.
On National Farmers’ Day, Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. offers our thanks to the more than 1,300 chicken growers on Delmarva who keep the region’s $3.5 billion chicken economy thriving.”
Although the campaign that aired on WDSD, WRDX, WILM and WDOV is over, the public can celebrate the day in a variety of other ways, like:
• Visiting a local farm stand or market.
• Engaging with a local farm on social media by liking, commenting on or sharing their content online.
• Making plans to visit a Christmas tree farm this year to purchase a live tree.
• Supporting agritourism and plan a trip to a corn maze, pumpkin farm or other fun activity.
• Joining the Delaware Farm Bureau.
• Ordering from a restaurant that sources its ingredients from local farmers.
• Learning about key agricultural-related legislative issues and write a letter to your local policymaker.
• Joining a CSA at a local farm.
• Using Amazon Smile to support agriculture education through the Delaware Farm Bureau Foundation. Visit DEFB.org for more information.
The radio campaign celebrating National Farmers Day is just one way the Delaware Farm Bureau has worked with iHeartMedia. iHeart-
Media is also facilitating a digital marketing campaign for the organization paid for by a grant from the United States’ Department of Agriculture, managed through the Delaware Department of Agriculture, in an effort to promote local farmers and produce.
That campaign will run through December 2021, digitally introducing 23 fresh market specialty crops available seasonally at markets all over Delaware to consumers who are on the go and ready to find local produce.
“iHeartMedia has been so great to work with. They have graciously presented us with the opportunity to highlight and promote our local farmers. iHeartMedia and the Delaware Farm Bureau worked handin-hand over the Summer promoting and educating the public about specialty crops grown in Delaware and the campaign was a great success. I am looking forward to creating new ways to promote and celebrate our local farmers. I highly encourage our community to support their local farmers,” Delaware Farm Bureau Marketing Coordinator Mikayla Paul said.
By Jennifer Antonik
Meet your farmer: June Unruh
June Unruh can still remember her excitement when trucks filled with cattle showed up at Taylors Bridge Farm in Townsend, DE, more than 40 years ago.
At the time, the Goldey-Beacom graduate worked in a bank. Her husband, Tom, worked as a biologist studying fish and phytoplankton. He graduated from the University of Delaware, majoring in plant science. It was that knowledge and his love for being a farmer, along with her love for the farm, that brought them to Taylor's Bridge. That love of farming continues today and will continue for generations to come.
“With farming, we go back between our two families for probably a couple hundred of years. To have that kind of heritage to keep going on is important to Tom and I. To just be able to say we’re farmers means so much. We’re taking care of the people in our country. I just love being a farmer. I will always have that feeling and Tom will, also,” Unruh explained.
Both grew up on family farms –it’s where Unruh would learn how to drive a tractor and milk cows by hand, she said.
“We had some chickens, too, and a cow we called Hamburg,” she laughed, remembering the fun times while growing up on a farm.
“We had to find our own entertainment. We would ride pigs and cows. And we did the hand milking when we were allowed in a little space of time before we had a machine to do this.”
In 1977, the Unruh’s decided they would purchase their own to begin a new journey of their own, raising their own children on the farm much like they experienced themselves. Their land is now in farmland preservation to ensure its Delaware legacy. They take pride in knowing that the Delaware Farmland Preservation bill was signed on one of their farms in the summer of 1991.
“We started milking our first cows Halloween night, 1977. I remember how excited I was when the big cattle trucks came up on the lane and I could hear all the moos. We did dairy for 30 years,” she said. “But dairy farming is hard. So, when we got ready to not have dairy anymore, and the big trucks came back
to take the cows away, I remember how sad I was. You never get a break. Milking do it twice a day and you never get a vacation. Our decision to not have dairy cows was a hard decision to make. The cattle trucks came back and it was a sad day to see them go. There’s no more noise. It’s too quiet now.”
Although the first herd has come and gone, the Unruh’s never stopped farming. It wasn’t too long before those barns were used to raise beef steers. Currently, the Unruh's till about 1,200 acres of land in New Castle County, farming mostly grains.
“I don’t think the word retired is in a farmer’s vocabulary. So, we’re still farming. I have a few little chickens that I play around with myself. That’s my little project,” she chuckled. “And I’m the gofer. I think all farm wives are the gofers – They go for this and they go for that. I do all the bookkeeping, filing, etc in our farming operation. It just makes sense; the men are so busy planting and harvesting the crops."
In everything Unruh did both on the farm and while working at the bank, education became a centerpiece highlighting her work. While working at PNC Bank, for example, she created a way to teach school children about banking and took short lessons to local elementary schools.
“It was really a lot of fun,” she said of the experience. “I taught them how to bank, how to write a deposit ticket, things they would
need to know when they were older. These are just little things that we should teach kids.”
She now volunteers with the Delaware Farm Bureau as the New Castle County Women’s Committee Chair and member of the Promotion and Education Committee where she previously chaired the Rural Road Safety initiative.
She also sits on the Board of Directors for both the Delaware Farm Bureau and the Delaware Farm Bureau Foundation and is a member of the Odessa Fire Company and Delaware State Grange.
“I always wanted to be a schoolteacher; I never did. But I feel like what I’m doing now with the promotions and education committee especially is reaching a larger group of people. Now you’ve got the whole public to educate. It’s just the simplest ideas that people aren’t aware of. When you talk about rural road safety or equipment on the road, for example, the general public doesn’t think about that. That’s where we need to educate them,” she said.
Continuing, she added, “It’s broadened my own knowledge and helped me come out of my shell, so to speak. It’s kind of pushed me into having a purpose and making my mark in society. People can remember me for what I did. I enjoy being the wife of Tom Unruh, but I also want to be June Unruh and I want to be remembered for what I did with my life. That’s what marriage is about. You work as a team, but you also work individually. Ev-
erybody has different ideas.” Unruh’s husband also volunteered heavily with the Delaware Farm Bureau, sitting on the Board of Directors in the past and was the second vice president for the organization. Lori, their daughter, is an assistant professor at North Carolina State University in the Crop Science Department. Their son, Scott, spent some time as the president of the New Castle County Farm Bureau and initiated the 5k Milk Run/ Walk for the Delaware Farm Bureau Foundation.
“There’s something for everyone in Farm Bureau. Everyone has something to offer, so present your ideas when you join the Women’s Committee. The Women’s Committee is very active in many programs throughout the state so you can choose a committee to serve on. The men concentrate on farming issues for all types of farming and the solutions to solve them so they don’t feel like they’re alone; there’s someone else standing out there with them. There’s a lot of fun things that the Farm Bureau does, too. We’re getting ready to do the Milk Run, that’s coming up. There’s the Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee – it’s not just sitting down and listening to someone talk to you. There’s all kinds of activities to do,” Unruh said.
Her own Farm Bureau work continues to evolve. She recently submitted a winning nomination application for the Odessa Fire Company in Nationwide’s Nominate your Fire Company Contest, earning the department needed grain bin rescue equipment and training. She is currently working with Delaware Farm Bureau staff on a new brochure highlighting rural road safety to be distributed around the state.
“Currently, the Delaware Driver’s Manual only has a couple of sentences about the SMV (slow moving vehicle) emblem. I feel the general public needs more information on this topic to fully understand 'Rural Road Safety.' The Delaware Farm Bureau brochure explains how a farmer safely 'shares the road' with motorists and would be a help to educate the general public,” she said.
To find out how to get involved with the Delaware Farm Bureau, visit defb.org or call the office at 302- 697-3183.
June Unruh is a farmer in Townsend and a Delaware Farm Bureau volunteer.
COVID-19 exposes importance of contingency planning
If you are a farmer, rancher or agribusiness operator, you may feel like you aren’t at risk or do not need to create a formal business continuity and contingency plan. It’s a process that takes time and often involves thinking about difficult situations that can disrupt operations. It’s something most people don’t want to think about.
But situations like severe weather and health and safety scares like the COVID-19 pandemic show the importance of being prepared for when things don’t go as planned. The more you plan ahead, the better you’ll be able to adjust to situations like these that disrupt operations. And the better you’ll be able to adjust, the quicker you’ll be able to get back up and running.
Building a business continuity and contingency plan starts with a thorough self-assessment. Ask yourself these questions:
• What are your greatest vulnerabilities and threats?
• Which ones are most likely to disrupt your operation?
• Which ones could affect your business most severely?
Create concrete plans
The disruptions that have the highest combination of severity and probability of interrupting or halting your business are the ones that require detailed, structured plans.
For example, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed the greatest threat to the farm workforce given its health risk and the ramifications of widespread work stoppages. But a global pandemic is far less likely than crop damage from a strong windstorm or tornado.
The latter may have a more localized adverse effect on your operation, but it’s historically happened with a much higher frequency than the former. Consider the effects of such dangers specific to your operation as well as on a more macro-level, taking into account your customers and marketplace beyond the farm gate.
Account for specific situations
Once you’ve adequately prioritized your farm’s vulnerabilities and greatest risks, consider your output and how it will be affected by those risks. Just like with an initial self-assessment, this step involves asking a series of questions your agribusiness continuity and contingency plan should answer. Ask questions like these:
• How will you continue to operate? If you manage an agritourism business, for example, will you be able to remain open to visiting customers? If you’re a grower or small processor, how will output and market access be affected?
• What specific business processes or operations will be disrupted? Which ones can continue?
• What are the consequences of your operation being disrupted? Are there any specific functions your operation can do without if necessary?
• How long can your operations be disrupted before you lose revenue or equity erodes?
Don't forget your workforce
The answers to the above questions will likely involve your workforce and how it can contribute to resuming operations in a comprehensive contingency plan. Think about the specific tasks for which each member of your workforce is responsible and how those tasks could be disrupted in the event of something like a severe storm or illness. Consider how you can delegate different jobs to individual employees differently if some parts of your business are disrupted. And if those jobs are temporarily slowed or halted altogether, think about how to continue to meet the needs of your workers. Doing so has potential long-term benefits; planning for how you will work through a localized COVID-19 outbreak, for example, accounts for the health and safety needs of workers in the short term and instills confidence that you’re acting both on behalf of your agribusiness as well as their safe, secure contributions to its productivity.
Start the process today
At the end of the day, building a well-thought-out contingency and continuity plan for your agribusiness may not be the most desirable task in the world, but given its importance in the event of something like a severe storm or outbreak of an illness, it’s something every agribusiness owner and manager should prioritize. Consult your operation’s team of trusted advisors, including your local Nationwide farm agent, to start the process today.
Additional COVID-19 resource
In the midst of a pandemic, it is important to stay safe and prepared. Nationwide’s COVID-19 resources can help you make the right decisions for your farm and employees moving forward. To learn more, visit www.nationwide. com/lc/resources/farm-and-agribusiness.
