Delaware Farm Bureau seeking new director

CAMDEN — The Delaware Farm Bureau, the chief industry organization that represents hundreds of state farmers, is now seeking a new executive director.

DEFB Executive Director Joseph Poppiti, who held the position for two years, had stepped down at the end of 2021. Poppiti left to serve as the landscape manager of Delaware Center of Horticulture.

“The Delaware Farm Bureau leadership team is looking forward to interviewing candidates who had an intimate knowledge of agriculture in our area following the resignation of Poppiti,” DEFB Board President Richard Wilkins said in a prepared statement. “Our organization is ready to grow as we move out of the pandemic and into a technology-based era, bringing with it unique opportunities and a need for new ideas.”

Poppiti was named executive director in January 2019 after longtime DEFB executive director Pam Bakerian retired after eight years of service. Poppiti was an agriculture consultant in mushroom production, starting on his family’s mushroom farm in Kennett Square, Pa. He managed several mushroom farms across the country and eventually served as the American Mushroom Institute’s chairman of the board from 2010 to 2014.

Established in 1944, the DEFB is one of the strongest voices for farmers with roughly 4,000 farm families and associate members. While the organization remains non-partisan, DEFB focuses on promoting and protecting agriculture to ensure a strong quality of life for farmers and their consumers.

The executive director manages day-to-day operations of the DEFB and the Delaware Farm Bureau Foundation, including strategic planning, program coordination and budget development. Applications will be solicited until March 1.

For more information, visit defb.org.