Harrington, Del. - As you walk through the Department of Agriculture Building, you are presented with a wealth of knowledge about Delaware's agriculture industry. For example, soybeans are a big crop harvested in the state. Stacy Hofmann, Chief of community relations with the Delaware Department of Agriculture says tonight, agriculture secretary Michael Scuse will speak on the economic impact Delaware's soybeans have across the nation.
"Soybeans are one of our top crops and so, extremely important when you think about the poultry industry," Hofmann said. "It's feeding the chickens and it goes right back to producing chickens and also feeding our residents here as well as across the country."
Like many other states, the land to plant soybeans is slowly slipping away. As many farmers choose to sell their land to developers.
And Milton Melendez a planner with the Delaware Department of Agriculture says there are several programs in place to help protect Delaware's number one industry."
"I'm with the Delaware Farmland Preservation Program with the Delaware Department of Agriculture. The program has been in existence for over 15 years and in total has persevered over a thousand presently preserver properties."
The program gives farmers a choice between preserving their land permanently or for the next ten years. With added funding, this year officials say the program will provide a minimum of 20 million dollars to help Delaware farmers preserve their land.
