by Lauren Torres, Class Fellow

Class III Fellow Lauren Torres enjoys a visit with the calves at Hopkins Farm Creamery.

LEADelaware Class III kicked off our second full day of activities with a video entitled “Delaware Agriculture: Farming in the First State” narrated by Delaware’s Agriculture Secretary and Ag Historian, Ed Kee.  The video set the stage for the class by showcasing the state’s agricultural past and present, to guide us into the future.

Secretary Kee was also our guest speaker for the day, providing insight on the various leadership roles throughout his career in agriculture.  The LEAD instructors presented information on demographics and statistics and explained why the two are so important.  Demographics and statistical information illustrate the dynamics of the industry and determines many of the daily decisions that affect its direction.

In the afternoon, the class first toured Hopkins Dairy Farm and Creamery followed by Dogfish Head Brewery.  The class learned about each agricultural business and its respective production processes from breeding cows, to fermenting grain.  In addition, the class also learned what kind of leadership styles each business possesses that got them where they are today, what their plans are for the future, and how they propose to get there.

The second day was concluded with an evening activity that as a group we had to decide and agree upon. We enjoyed playing a couple rounds of “Left, Right, Center” a fun dice game.