University of Delaware Athletics
James Prince Working Hard in the Trenches On and Off the Field
9/2/2022 3:17:00 PM | Football
Throughout the summer months, Delaware football student-athletes can generally be found in the athletic facilities, either in the weight room or out on the practice fields working on individual skill work. Senior offensive lineman James Prince was usually alongside his teammates as they prepare for the 2022 season; however, he would often show up in the evenings covered in dirt and mud.
This is because Prince is majoring in Food and Agribusiness Marketing and Management, and his summer internship was not like many others. He worked at Willard Agri-Services in Worton, Md., where he spent a lot of time out in the field learning the ins and outs of the business side of farming.
"My responsibilities included crop evaluations and value-added services such as yield estimates and coordinating the flow of information between the customer and the sales rep," said Prince. "I performed yield estimates throughout the growing season to provide customers with an idea of what yields could look like. I stayed in constant communication with my sales rep, sending scouting reports so the accounts had a real-time picture of what was going on with their crops."
According to Dr. Kelly Davidson, an assistant professor in the program, "Food and Agribusiness Marketing and Management includes all of the economic transactions and functions that occur in the food system. The field of study includes all of the skills and knowledge required for these transactions to occur from the farm gate to the consumer's plate."
The work that Prince was doing was to help analyze threats to crops - such as identifying particular weeds, insects and diseases - and make recommendations on how to contain such dangers. All of that information can help determine how much a single crop could produce and therefore provide a prediction for the economic value of the crop.
Remarkably, with nearly 700 student-athletes at UD, Prince is the only one currently in his major, a stat that baffles both him and Davidson considering the draw of both the quality of the agricultural business program and Delaware athletics. For Prince, his passion for the agricultural field comes from his stepmother and a number of influential family friends.
"From working on a pistachio and almond farm in California to corn and soybean here in the Delmarva peninsula, I have been exposed to a lot of different parts of agriculture."
Prince's journey to Delaware is not a normal one. He grew up the son of a football coach and therefore moved around a bit. He started his collegiate career at Howard University in Washington, D.C. where his dad was the head coach. As a freshman in 2019, he started all 12 games and earned Freshman All-American honors.
"Growing up in different places allowed me to not set my sights on a school close to home, and go where the best opportunity was. When I was coming out of high school, it was at Howard University where my dad was coaching and I was majoring in Supply Chain Management, which fitted right in with what I want to do."
However following his freshman season, Prince was looking for a change of scenery and set his sights on a school that could give him the best opportunity to excel both athletically and academically. Delaware's agricultural business program is ranked among the best in the country and is one of the few on the East Coast. That, along with a historical football program - which Prince was familiar with having had attended camps at Delaware growing up and also receiving some recruiting interest – made the Blue Hens a pretty easy choice.
"I am forever grateful for my time at Howard, but coming to UD has been one of the best decisions I've made. There were a number of different schools that had some of the things I was looking for in a school. Fortunately, I chose to visit Delaware during the first spring ball practice of 2020. After that and the continued conversations I was having, I knew this was the place for me."
Through his first two seasons with the Blue & Gold, Prince has appeared in 13 games, playing various positions on the offensive line. He will look to play an increased role in 2022 and has one more year of eligibility remaining should he choose to take it. However, despite his strong football background, he knows that his calling may be away from the gridiron.
"My parents have always taught us not to be limited by the sports we play, but instead the impact we can have on our communities and each other. My three siblings and I all have or are currently playing Division I sports, but our passions and careers outside of the lines are what we hope to be defined by. Going into Agribusiness, I want to work in consulting and risk management to help clients work on sustainability, disruptive trends and new technologies that are shaping the agriculture landscape every day."
