Dan Severson guest lecture provided an insight into Delaware agriculture and the livestock industry. Throughout this presentation I learned a lot about Delaware’s agriculture that surprised me. Delaware ranks first in the U.S. in value of agricultural production per acre and second in value per farm. Being that Delaware is such a small state, this ranking really shocked me. I also learned that 40% of Delaware’s total land is farm land and an astonishing 29% of Delaware’s total land consists of corn and soybean crops – which makes sense being that poultry production is such a huge commodity in the Delmarva area. Severson also helped to portray the typical farm in Delaware. More than half of the farms operate less than 50 acre and bring in less than $50,000 per year. After providing a broad overview of the local agriculture, he went into depth about the dairy, beef, sheep, goat and swine operations within Delaware and a few staples from each – such as their average contribution to the economy or the common uses of each animal (ie: meat, wool, dairy products, genetics/show, etc.). I found this lecture to be one of my favorites – he was very knowledgable about each industry and provided great insight into each.
Tag Archives: Delaware AG
Livestock Industry- Dan Severson
Listening to Dan Severson lecture about the livestock industry was very interesting and captivating. I honestly knew little about the livestock industry and Dan’s lecture allowed me to understand a little more about the livestock industry and specifically, Delaware Farms. The piece of information that shocked me the most, was the fact that 96% of family farms are family owned. This was new information to me, as I usually hear about corporate farms and such dominating the agricultural industry. I also was surprised to see that the top three biggest meat consumption products are beef, pork, and poultry. I honestly though poultry was dominating the market, but to see beef and pork ahead was interesting to learn. Looking at statistics of the U.S. compared to around the world also helped me better understand todays current agriculture market and economy.