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With the colder months behind us, our crop farmers will return to their fields soon and begin the planting season. With the vast majority of us living in urban settings, it is nothing short of miraculous when you stop and consider how so few people feed so many. Except for maybe an herb garden or a tomato plant or two, most of us grow nothing to eat.
In Delaware, the agriculture and food processing sectors stand as the number one economic force in our state, and yet may be the least appreciated by everyone who has “urbanized.” According to the Delaware Prosperity Partnership, "Corn is the top crop, watermelons are the leading fruit crop and broilers [chicken] are the most valuable agricultural product. Other important Delaware agricultural products include wheat, barley, apples, peaches, grapes, peas, and dairy." The state boasts 259
food and agriculture establishments and an estimated 11,892 employed individuals within the industry.
We are blessed with the soils, technology, skills, and logistics to seldom, if ever, worry about food. Like any industry, they have their issues. But let’s not forget how much they contribute to our wellbeing and economy. After all, it is their ability to regularly produce at high levels that allowed so many of us to urbanize and stop producing food altogether.
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