Just the beginning-The life of a young sprout, www.maxthesprout.com, a 12-page educational and activity booklet published by the Maryland Soybean Board and created and designed by Laser Letters, Inc. of Easton, recently drew the attention of Michael Buckley for his radio show, “Voices of the Chesapeake Bay.” The booklet’s purpose is to teach Maryland’s fourth through sixth grade students a few things about the important role soybeans play in our lives.
Buckley interviewed local soybean farmer Bill Rhodes, vice president of Schillinger Seed Company of Queenstown, Steve Moore, grain and soybean farmer, of Sudlersville, and Bruce Hotchkiss, founding editor of “The Delmarva Farmer” newspaper and now senior editor of American Farm Publications, Inc. to discuss the latest developments in uses for soybeans.
Rhodes has become one of the preeminent soybean breeders in soybean research, focusing on food grade soybeans and on altering the composition of soybean varieties to meet poultry, swine and fish demand. The expanding aquaculture industry has been searching for an alternative fish food and soybeans could provide the answer. Steve Moore has served nine years on the Maryland Soybean Board and now serves as one of two Maryland directors on the United Soybean Board.
According to Hotchkiss, president of Agri-Media Services, Inc., which he founded in 1995 to assist farm organizations with their communications and public relations activities, “The soybean boards are charged with administering the congressionally mandated checkoff program under which farmers contribute 50 cents of every $100 they get for their soybeans at the first point of sale. That money can be spent by the soybean boards for educating and informing the public about soybeans, to support soybean research, or to find new markets for soybeans.”
With funds provided by the national soybean checkoff program, Hotchkiss was
instrumental in producing the soybean booklet, Just the beginning-The life of a young sprout, which is now being used in classrooms statewide. Booklets are available free of charge to Maryland educators working with fourth through sixth grade students to promote agriculture and natural resource education. For more information, call 410-822-8731 or visit the booklet’s new web site www.maxthesprout.com.
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