The Blessing Family farm--from fresh veggies to fresh fish

Floyd and Helen Blessing

2:23 p.m., July 27, 2005--Farming has been a commitment for Floyd Blessing since he was 15 years old more than a half-century ago.

“At that time, my parents rented a farm (we were sharecropping) when a banker friend of my father’s offered to help him buy some land that was going to be repossessed. My parents told me they couldn’t make a go of it without help from me and my brother, Maurice, and that was that. I made a commitment to them, left school (although I didn’t want to), and have been farming like crazy ever since,” Floyd said.

The Blessing farm today in Houston, Del., is a far cry from its modest beginnings more than 50 years ago and now encompasses more than 1,500 acres, plus another leased 1,500 acres.

The Blessing family has grown as well. Floyd married a girl he grew up with, Helen Schmick, and they had two sons and a daughter--Joel, Kenny, AG’ 79, who married Sherry Knotts, and Carol Argo. The next generation consists of four grandsons--Kenny’s sons, Eric, a student at UD, and Justin, who just graduated from Milford High School; and Carol’s sons, Sam, who is a farmer, and Nicholas, a chef.

In the beginning, the Blessings had a dairy farm and grew small grains, then added vegetables. Now, they also grow soybeans, corn, wheat and barley, and they also have brood cows and steers, and have raised goats, swine and sheep.

Cutting-edge farmers, the Blessings now are raising tilapia in fish houses, which is Joel’s project. There are 24 tanks, each holding 8,500 fish--the only one of its kind in Delaware. “When the alarm goes off at 2 in the morning that something is wrong, Joel is the one who has to answer it, although we all pitch in,” Helen said.

Kenny is a full-time farmer with his father. A UD alumnus who majored in animal science, he says, “I knew what to do and how to do it, but I didn’t know why. I got a well-rounded education at Delaware and still have strong ties there.”

Farming is a risky business, and Floyd recalls when his vegetable crop was wiped out by hail while the family stood by helplessly. Although crop insurance is available for grains, it is not available for vegetables. “It was devastating, not only financially, but because of all the work we had put into it,” Floyd said. His response was to purchase acreage near Dover, with the idea that hail would not strike in two distant locations.

To be successful as a farmer, Floyd has honed his self-taught, organizational and financial skills to the point where he is much in demand in farm-related organizations. He has served on the Southern States Cooperative board for about 20 years; the Farm Credit board for 18 years; and he has chaired the Interstate Milk Producers as well as the Sheep and Wool Association. He currently is on the Delaware State Fair board, where he became involved in organizing its committees and finances. “I’m responsible for bringing The Hitch to the fair,” he said. “Six huge Percheron horses pulling a wagon. It’s a sight to see!”

Helen has done her part to help him, such as entertaining 70 persons associated with Southern States at a backyard picnic.

One organization in which the whole Blessing family has participated is 4-H. Helen was a leader of the Houston Cardinals for 20 years, and the three Blessing children were all members.

“At first, Carol was too little to participate and just went along to the meetings with me, but when she was 9 years old, her little hand went up, and she has been volunteering ever since,” Helen says. “She took over as leader when I stopped.” Carol, a dental hygienist, was a member of the 4-H leaders association and also is active in missionary work for her church in Africa, Paraguay and Pakistan.

Sherry also has been a 4-H leader and a livestock project leader. As 4-H members, grandsons Sam and Nicholas have raised seven grand-champion steers, plus grand-champion sheep and lambs.

Nicholas, who is a graduate of Johnson and Wales College, credits 4-H for getting him started in his career as a professional chef. “From 4-H, I learned about food and nutrition and participated in culinary competitions. I spent a week in Washington, at a 4-H conference listening to guest speakers and shadowing people at a culinary school. There was a competition for bread-making, and my team won,” Nicholas said. He has served as president of his local 4-H club and participated at the state and national levels. “4-H helped to mold me,” he said.

“4-Hs a great organization, attracts good people and heads people in the right direction,” Floyd, who chaired the Delaware 4-H Foundation and also the Kent County 4-H Links alumni association, said.

Looking back on his years of farming and volunteerism in agriculture, Floyd talked about his life and philosophy. “I’m glad about the things that have happened to me. I never sought jobs; they came to me. I don’t take no for an answer. When someone is negative about something, I ask if they have tried it.

“Success is not easy, but it’s my belief that ingenuity and ambition will prevail,” he said.

Article by Sue Moncure
Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson

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