DOVER, Del. Ted Bobola is the owner of Bobola Farm and Florist in Dover.
"I'm a second generation farmer and that's all I've known. I've been out here working since I was old enough to drive a tractor," said Bobola.
Bobola said thanks to a farmland preservation program by the Delaware Department of Agriculture, the future of farming looks bright. It's the only official program that protects land for agricultural purposes.
"There's many different reasons why people preserve their lands. Some want to expand. Others want to preserve it for the legacy of their operation," said Bobola.
It is a legacy that started with Bobola's father back in the 1950s. It's something he wants to keep going.
"It's an $8 billion industry, and I'm just talking about Delmarva. That's a pretty high statistic. If we were to lose this industry, I don't know what the devastation would be," said Bobola.
Bobola said farmers are already faced with some challenges keeping up a farm.
"Commodities have risen, so have our inputs as far as seed, fertilizer and land rent has gone up substantially," he said.
Counting on the fact that this preservation program has saved more than 100,000 acres of farmland in Delaware, Bobola said landowners can feel more secure their land will be exempt from big developers moving in and cashing out.
To learn more about the Delaware Farmland Preservation Program, log onto http://dda.delaware.gov/aglands/
