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‘The feedback’s been great’: Kee
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The largest used equipment inventory in the Mid-Atlantic is only a click away. Visit our website by clicking here or visit us at one of our 11 locations throughout MD, DE, VA and PA.
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‘The feedback’s been great’: Kee
1.08.2008
By SEAN CLOUGHERTY
Associate Editor
HARRINGTON, Del. — As Delaware Agriculture Week kicked off its third year on Monday, area farmers gathered with Extension specialists to learn about innovations and changes in their industry.
The ideas of increased fellowship and cross collaboration drive the week of meetings, workshops and annual banquets at the Delaware State Fairgrounds, said Ed Kee, planning committee chairman.
He said that although the topics change from year to year, the overall structure of the week has largely gone unchanged.
“The feedback’s been great. We’re really pleased,” Kee said.
One topic, he said, that’s receiving more attention during the vegetable sessions is pollination and bees.
Tuesday afternoon is filled with presentations on pollination from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Dover Building.
Some of the presentations will explore the use of native bees and other non-honey bees for pollination.
Kee said the expanded session is in response to last year’s bee shortage from colony loss and acknowledging that “pollination is so critical” to certain vegetable crops.
“I think we really underestimated or undervalued the bees,” said David Marvel Jr., president of theVegetable Growers Association of Delaware. “Until this shortage, I really didn’t think about it.”
Marvel said the two days of vegetable sessions balance the needs of farmers growing vegetables for processing and the needs of farmers growing for fresh market and also features talks from experts outside of the region.
“We’d like to hear what other parts of the country are doing,” he said.
Both the vegetable growers and the Mid-Atlantic Soybean Association are holding their annual banquets during Ag Week.
The vegetable growers dinner is Tuesday at 7 p.m at the Harrington Fire Hall and the soybean association holds its annual meeting at 3:30 p.m. with dinner to follow on Thursday, Jan. 10, at 5 p.m. in the Dover Building.
Although the meetings and industry trade show at the fairgrounds conclude on Thursday, Ag Week continues with the Friends of Agriculture Breakfast and Agriculture Issues Forum featuring Gale Buchanan, USDA undersecretary for research, education and economics and other local agriculture officials.
The breakfast is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 11 at 7:15 a.m. at the Harrington Fire Hall.
Cost to attend the breakfast is $15 and pre-registration is required. Call Alice Moore at 302-831-2504 to register.
On Saturday, Jan. 12, the Delaware Organic Food and Farming Association is holding its annual meeting at the Paradee Center in Dover, Del., beginning at 9 a.m., and the Delmarva Forestry Seminar is also scheduled for Saturday at Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, Md., beginning at 9 a.m.
For more information about Delaware Ag Week, visit the Web site, www.rec.udel.edu/agweek/home.htm.