Local farms look to create momentum; and improve the industry in 2025

DELMARVA. Farmers across Delmarva are keeping a positive outlook heading into 2025. Some want to maintain the current progress, while others hope for improvements. Brady West, who manages irrigation for Quantico Creek Sod Farms, said his farm has done great in 2024.

“It’s been a good year. We did a lot of sales in the South and North Carolina. The summer was hard because of the weather and drought conditions.”

The farm looks to continue that growth. However, that’s not the case for every farm. The Wicomico Farm Bureau President, Steve Hurley, said other farms struggle in key areas.

“We’re looking for a new administration in DC, hoping we’d have stable input costs. Everything is out of hand right now, and with the minimum wage being raised, it has inflated the cost of parts, services, materials.”

Wildlife makes work difficult for producers. Specifically for chicken farms, Hurley tells WMDT the Bureau has reached out to state officials in Annapolis for solutions.

“Here on the lower four counties on the eastern shore, the chicken industry drives the farm economy. They eat corn and we need to grow corn. We can’t grow corn in some places because of the deer damage.”

These deer tend to destroy corn crops, which forces farmers to replace them with alternative crops. Unfortunately, those are not as profitable.

While the new year will bring new challenges, workers at Quantico Creek are optimistic

“Going into 2025, I’m hoping for more rain next summer. We had some breakdowns this year because we were running them so much. I’m hoping for better weather this coming year.”

The Wicomico Farm Bureau will host a 2025 Doe Harvest Challenge. They hope this will help control the deer population.

You can learn more here.