On Monday September 17th, 2018 we had guest speaker in AGRI 130 who talked about Delaware as a “FoodShed”. One of the major driving forces for Delaware’s agriculture industry is how close it is to people. Delaware is within 1/3 of the US population within an eight hour drive. This was something that Ed Kee kept mentioning during his speech as he went over the history of Delaware’s agriculture industry. Some of the things that helped the ag industry grow during the 1800’s was the railroad system which stimulated an agricultural economy, the canning industry in which the first one was in Dover, DE which allowed for an increase in the distance that products could go creating new markets and boats which further increased transportation. Ed Kee also mentioned advances in science since 1945. Some of these advances are genetics, irrigation, soil fertility, pest management (insects and diseases) and precision Agriculture. Each of these things have allowed for farmers to produce more and to feed more people. Something I found interesting is that the Mitchell Family who owns Woodside Dairy in Delaware is going to have a robotic milking machine. The machine will milk cows when they come to it to get milked and will tell the farmer how much milk the cow is producing. Another thing I found interesting is that by 2050 there is expected to be 9.3 billion people which means that global agriculture will need to increase production up to 70% of what it is now.
Tag Archives: Ed Kee
Guest Speaker: Ed Kee
I enjoyed Ed Kee’s guest lecture about Delaware Agriculture. He gave us a very vital insight into Delaware Agriculture and how it affects the rest of our country. I loved learning the details about Delaware, and how it compares to other Agriculturally Innovative States such as California. Ed Kee not only gave us statistics regarding present day Delaware Agriculture, but the history of Agriculture in the U.S. as a whole. He walked us through the colonial Period and how Agriculture has transformed over the years economically and efficiency wise in the country. I thought that the organization of the lecture was interesting. Ed Kee first focused on Delaware Agriculture by “zooming into” Delaware and looking at its specific economic inputs and outputs, and then connected it to the rest of the United States! Ed Kee had a wealth of knowledge and shared it well. I feel like I am better connected to the farmers in Delaware after being educated about their common misconceptions, achievements, past, present, and possible futures.
Guest Lecture: Ed Kee
On September 18th, we had the pleasure of receiving a lecture from former Delaware Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Kee. We learned about the history of Agriculture in Delaware, and got an in-depth look at Delaware’s importance as a food shed. What was most shocking to me was learning that Delaware’s number one industry is agriculture! When many people think of Delaware, they think of a place known for tourism surrounding our beaches, as well as the tax-free shopping that DE offers. Though if you take a closer look, it makes sense that the number one industry is agriculture – almost 50% of all land in Delaware is farmland! Not to mention, one third of the entire US population is within a 10-hour drive of Delaware – from New York City, to Baltimore, to Washington D.C., and almost every major city along the east coast. This makes it a perfect place for agriculture, as we are able to help provide fresh food to a substantial portion of the country. Overall, we were incredibly lucky to talk with a man who has experience in practically every field of agriculture that Delaware has to offer.
Delaware: A Food Shed by Ed Kee
Our class was very fortunate to have Delaware’s former secretary of AG, Ed Kee lecture not once but twice. I was impressed to learn Mr. Kee managed the farm at Nassau Orchards at such a young age. Mr. Kee’s first lecture described Delaware’s agriculture industry as a “Food Shed” for the eastern United States. One take home message that has been a recurring theme throughout the course is that one third of the U.S. population lies within eight hours driving distance of Delaware. This fact makes Delaware an important player in the fresh market produce industry along the east coast. I was also interested to learn that during the early 1900’s Delaware had a substantial number of canneries and processing companies, specifically tomato processing. Another important take home message was that 97.6% of U.S. farms are family owned, contrary to the belief of skeptics who believe factory farms are king. I was very pleased to get an opportunity to listen to someone with the knowledge and experience that Mr. Kee has in the field of agriculture.
Ed Kee’s Guest Lecture on Iowa and California Agriculture
Mr. Kee gave a very insightful guest lecture on Iowa and California agriculture, which are the two biggest agricultural states in the U.S. Iowa is number one for corn, soybean, pork, and egg production. 85% of Iowa’s landmass is used for agriculture, about 30.5 million acres, with 87,500 farmers! 92% of Iowa’s cash farm income comes from corn, soybeans, pork, and beef. Iowa grows about 13 million acres of corn, about 2.5 billion bushels.Iowa grows about 9.8 million acres of soybeans, about 553,7 million bushels. They produce 968 million dozen of eggs, and raise 20.9 million hogs, 32% of the nations pork production. The owner of Stine Seeds is located in Iowa, which is the largest family owned seed company. Harry Stine developed the soybean genetics that accounts for 63% of seed in North and South America. Iowa is also recognized for its hand in ethanol production and the 15% that is now incorporated into gasoline. California is the biggest agricultural producer ranking first in Milk & cream, almonds, grapes, lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes, flowers, walnuts, and hay. California’s biggest problem is water, which they get from snowmelt. Farmers have to grow crops that will at least return the cost of water. They export 26% of their ag products, valued at about 21 billion. California is the 10th largest general economy in the world. They can produce strawberries 9-10 months out of the year, where most states have a very short growing period. 95% of processed tomato products come from California, where they have mixed breeds to create a crop that can be mechanically harvested. It is unbelievable how much knowledge Mr. Kee possess about agriculture and how much he has impacted Delaware agriculture during his time as the vegetable extension agent and as Delaware’s Secretary of Agriculture.
Iowa &California Guest lecture #4
Iowa and California are two giants, and rightfully so as these two are the top two in Agriculture production and value! In this Guest Lecture I learned an array of new topics and information! Starting first with the Hawkeye state, believe it or not 85% of Iowa’s land mass is used for Agriculture! Iowa’s superb moisture holding soil make it a prime state for growing a lot of corn, although this is the main crop grown, Iowa also produces a lot of soybeans, Pork, and Beef as this is 92% of Iowa’s cash farm income! One of the Most surprising facts I found from this state was that it’s the leading egg producer in the entire nation, producing roughly 968 million dozen eggs! Now on to the Golden state, California is the 3rd largest state in the entire country producing approximately $47 billion in Agriculture sales! While Iowa’s Agriculture production is all about their soil, California’s is all about their water, as it is adjacent to the coast and contains many mountain ranges and springs! California’s most abundant crop next to rice has to be the Tomato, as 95% of our tomatoes come from Cali! California’s farms have a relatively dry climate, although this doesn’t seem like a positive attribute, dry climate equates to less chance of disease for the crops! Although it’s a relatively dry climate towards the center of the state, studies that have been conducted have shown that slowly more and more water has been produced each year! This has helped greatly as the pumping stations found by the mountains have been able to pump out more water effectively and efficiently! So as you can see these two Agricultural Giants have tremendous production and have a lot to offer to the rest of the states in our nation!
Mr. Ed Kee Guest Lecture
I was recently fortunate enough to hear two guest lectures from Mr. Ed Kee. His first lecture taught us students about Delaware Ag and its importance to the food shed. Mr. Kee spoke about many things including that Delaware is located within 8 hours of 1/3 of the population, which puts Delaware at a high advantage even with its small size. Delaware also has 115,000 of land being preserved so it will stay farmland forever; this will allow many businesses to stay in business for many years to come. The agriculture industry has $6-$7 billion dollars of economic activity in Delaware which makes it a large commodity for Delaware as well as the Eastern United States. Mr. Kees second lecture explained Iowa and California Agriculture. I found this lecture very interesting because it put more into perspective about farming in the United States and helped me compare Delawares agriculture practices to those in other states. Iowa has great soil because of the moisture it can hold and its fertility. California agriculture is all about water and farmers grow crops to gain the most profit relative to what they pay for water. After listening to both lectures from Mr. Kee I feel I’ve gained an abundance of knowledge about not only Delaware agriculture but Iowa and California agriculture and thank him very much for sharing his wealth of knowledge with us students.