Deep Roots

Supporting Delaware agriculture at Corteva Agriscience

BY RICK DEADWYLER

HELPING FARMERS AND COMMUNITIES continue to build a sustainable agriculture industry here in Delaware is central to our mission at Corteva Agriscience.

Not only do we have over a century of legacy roots in the First State, but our mission to enrich the lives of those who produce and those who consume, ensuring progress for generations to come fits squarely within Delaware’s storied agricultural and innovation traditions.

Today, the state’s farming industry accounts for an aggregate economic contribution of more than $8 billion annually to Delaware, with the value of farm production exceeding $1 billion.

We’re honored to be working with thousands of farmers and agriculture workers throughout the state, including many of the 150 active family farms that have been operated by the same family for over 100 years.

That amazing tradition of family farming is also reflected in the fact that about 90% of Delaware’s 2,300 farms are either sole or family proprietorships, or family-owned corporations. These farms comprise about 40% of the state’s land mass, which makes agriculture the largest source of land-use in Delaware.

I mention this because we know just how important family farms are to the community and economic fabric of Delaware, and that our state’s farmers are among the most important and influential stewards of the land and natural resources along the Eastern Seaboard.

That’s why we continue to invest in sustainable seed and crop protection solutions that enable the state’s farmers to increase productivity and farm-gate revenue while protecting the natural resources that make farming possible.

One trip south of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal is all it takes to recognize that corn and soybeans are the kings and queens of the state’s row crops. In fact, they are the number one and two crops, respectively, and combine for millions of dollars in revenue. As such we work with corn and soybean farmers up and down the state to optimize their yields and improve the environmental efficacy of their operations.

The stakes are high, both here in Delaware and across the U.S.

In fact, today, production loss in corn and soybeans due to disease costs American farmers, including those in Delaware, nearly $8 billion every year. Globally, the figure is significantly higher.

That’s one of the reasons why we are investing so much time and resources in developing gene-edited crops that can dramatically reduce that course. In fact, over the last several years we have identified a pipeline of native genes to target major disease problems and have enhanced these genes through gene-editing to improve the level of disease resistance.

Back in March we announced a game-changing gene-editing technology that will bring added protection to elite corn hybrids that are advancing through our R&D pipeline. The early-stage concept uses proprietary technology based on new plant breeding techniques to package multiple disease-resistant native traits into a single location in the gene to better address the most devastating corn diseases facing farmers today.

In 2021, Northern leaf blight, Southern rust, gray leaf spot, and anthracnose stalk rot combined to cost North America corn growers more than 318 million bushels in production. By using gene editing to combine and reposition disease resistant traits that already exist within the corn genome, we are able to much more precisely replicate a process that is often used in nature to bolster disease tolerance and minimize production stress.

We believe it’s going to be a game-changer along with so many other sustainably advantaged crop protection and seed solutions in our pipeline.

Of course, our support of Delaware agriculture extends well beyond the farm with a number of initiatives to raise awareness of food systems and food security, especially among youth. Today, for instance, we work closely with and support community garden initiatives with the Food Bank of Delaware, Boys and Girls Clubs of Delaware, Delaware Center for Horticulture, Delaware Nature Society, The Hagley Museum and Library, and Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids.

Additionally, we support Delaware FFA and William Penn FFA and their work of teaching and growing the next generation of farmers and agriculture leaders. Through Hagley, Delaware Museum of Nature and Science, FAME, and Winterthur Museum and Gardens, we also fund STEM programs as technology continues to play such a massive role in the transformation of modern agriculture. We also support an annual scholarship event through Delaware State University and continue to be a major contributor to the United Way of Delaware, which I am privileged to serve as chair of the board.

As evidenced with these and so many other initiatives, we believe in the future of agriculture in Delaware and are honored to partner with communities and farmers throughout the state to keep its rich traditions alive and growing.

Rick Deadwyler oversees government and industry affairs for Corteva Agriscience’s U.S. East Region.