Dan Severson, New Castle’s County Extension Agent, came to class to speak to us about the Livestock Industry in Delaware. He gave us an overview of Delaware Farms and we learned that Delaware ranks first in the U.S. in the value of agriculture production per acre. Most farms are family owned and 2% of the US population is involved in farming. The U.S. has the most affordable, safest, and abundant food compared to other parts of the world. Dan went over the different livestock in Delaware and what they are used for. We learned that Beef is the meat with the largest annual per capita consumption. Sheep are used mostly for genetics and show, along with their wool, hair, and milk. Goats are used for mostly for meat and milk. We learned that dairy cows have become more efficient in producing milk. The number of dairy farms have decreased but the number of dairy cows have stayed the same in Delaware. I enjoyed learning about the animal side to Delaware agriculture.
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Dan Severson came to our class and shared a presentation reviewing statistics of Delaware farming today. In these slides we learned that approximately 96% of farms owned today are family owned and represent 87% of all agricultural value generated. As we progressed into the livestock portion of the presentation Dan quickly stated that since 1950 food production in the U.S. is 260% times better, he also noted that WWI caused many younger farmers to choose different careers. From there we discussed the average annual per capita consumption of meat. Beef being the number one consume meat in the U.S. and poultry standing as the number one consumed meat in Delaware. We also learned that here in the U.S. we have some the most affordable food costs in the World! Not to mention the safest and most abundant of food sources as well. Dan also reviewed the different livestock in Delaware and how each are individually used. We learned that hogs are not very popular in Delaware as they once were. Sheep are used for mostly show and genetics. Goat for their meat and that the amount of diary farms in Delaware has decreased but the number of dairy cows remains consistent. I especially enjoyed learning about the different species of animals used in Delaware and how they are most allocated throughout the state.