(SALISBURY, MARYLAND) – Delaware farmer Rick Dickerson attended the 2017 Soybean Leadership College Jan. 10-12 in St. Louis, Mo.
Dickerson, of Laurel, farms about a thousand acres of soybeans, corn, and wheat, and raises peas, sweet corn, baby lima beans, edamame, string beans, yellow squash on contract and pumpkins and other vegetables for the fresh market. He also operates a roadside stand and raises broilers for Perdue Farms, Inc.
Dickerson also attended the United Soybean Board’s 2015 “See For Yourself” tour of China and Vietnam.
The Delaware Soybean Board sponsored his trip. Delaware farmers plant about 180,000 acres of soybeans each year, and the crop generates approximately $60 million in value to the state. Delaware’s agricultural industry contributes about $8 billion per year to the Delaware economy.
Soybean Leadership College, coordinated by the American Soybean Association, provides current and future agricultural industry leaders with training to effectively promote the soybean industry, communicate key agricultural messages and work to expand U.S. soybean market opportunities domestically and internationally.
The program also fosters networking between growers from across the country, encouraging collaboration, which in turn increases the effectiveness of soybean growers at the local, regional and national level.
The Delaware Soybean Board consists of nine farmer-directors and the Secretary of Agriculture. Funded through a one-half of one percent assessment on the net market value of soybeans at their first point of sale, the checkoff works with partners in the value chain to identify and capture opportunities that increase farmer profit potential. One-half of the soybean checkoff assessments collected by the state boards are forwarded to the United Soybean Board.
For more information on the Delaware Soybean Board, visit www.desoybeans.org.
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Susanne Zilberfarb
Delaware Soybean Board
Susanne@desoybeans.org
Office (703) 437-0995 cell (410) 430-2613