Check out this story from ABC News.
Go to https://abcnews.go.com/Business/americas-largest-milk-producer-dean-foods-files-bankruptcy/story?id=66947892&cid=social_fb_abcn&fbclid=IwAR0_A9xqHGYRNZwbe-rWH7gEmQ2huxFXJNdlHUklJREzEmmLWZkNA6KYT7A
Showing posts with label dairy farming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dairy farming. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Happy National Milk Day!!
According to the National Day Calendar, National Milk Day commemorates the day that many think the first milk deliveries in glass bottles began in the United States.
** Milk is a good source of calcium and many vitamins
 |
| Thatcher |
** The dairy industry is the largest part of New York's agriculture industry.
** Milk can come from other animals too, such as goats, sheep, reindeer, yaks and buffalo
So celebrate National Milk Day by having a big glass of milk or some other dairy product!!
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Marketing Officials Scramble to Reassure Farmers in Wake of Termination Notices from DFA
An interesting story from the Watertown Daily Times.
Check it out at http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news03/marketing-officials-scramble-to-reassure-farmers-in-the-wake-of-termination-notices-20170928
Check it out at http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news03/marketing-officials-scramble-to-reassure-farmers-in-the-wake-of-termination-notices-20170928
Friday, September 15, 2017
Dairy Farmers Deal With Post Hurricane Realities
This isn't from New York state, but still an interesting read.
Go to http://www.bradenton.com/news/business/article173124796.html to see the story.
Go to http://www.bradenton.com/news/business/article173124796.html to see the story.
Saturday, July 8, 2017
6 Dairy Processors Join New York State Grown & Certified Program
From Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office:
Six additional dairy processors have joined the New York State Grown & Certified program.
Consumers will soon be able to find the Certified label on select milk, yogurt and cheese products from Byrne Dairy, Upstate Niagara Cooperative, McCadam Cheese, King Brothers Dairy, Hudson Valley Fresh Dairy and Beecher’s Handmade Cheese.
These dairy processors source their milk from more than 1,200 farms across the State, providing significant support to New York’s largest agricultural sector.
"Dairy is a major part of our agricultural industry and the New York State Grown & Certified program will help to further grow this critical sector of this state's economy," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "By expanding this program to dairy, we promote even more of New York’s finest producers and hard-working farmers, connect consumers to high-quality products and support the growth of local economies."
New York State Grown & Certified is a promotional program that distinguishes agricultural products that are sourced from New York farms and made by producers who meet safe food handling practices and demonstrate environmental stewardship.
Last month, the governor announced a new partnership with Stewart’s Shops to expand New York State Grown & Certified to include Stewart’s milk, ice cream, half and half, heavy cream and eggs. Today’s announcement further advances the program’s goal of growing the State’s vital agricultural industry by highlighting New York farms and processors who meet a higher standard.
Central New York
Byrne Dairy, a fourth generation, family-owned dairy processor and distributor, has already placed the New York State Grown & Certified label on its new line of Byrne Hollow Farm organic milk products, which are sold in Whole Foods Markets, Byrne Dairy stores and other select retailers.
Later this month, consumers can begin to look for the Certified label on Byrne Dairy’s new line of Byrne Hollow Farm grass-fed milk products sold at BJ’s Wholesale Club locations. In the coming weeks, Byrne Dairy also plans to announce another new and exciting line of products bearing the Certified label.
Since the very beginning, Byrne Dairy has prided itself on working with hundreds of local and family farms — most of which are located no more than 40 miles from the company’s processing plants — to produce the freshest and best tasting dairy products.
Western New York
Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. is a food and beverage company owned by 345 New York dairy farm families, and has offered innovative, award-winning, high-quality dairy products to New York State residents for generations.
With a commitment to quality that extends to every stage of production, from the farm to the consumer, their products include milk, flavored milk beverages, yogurt, dip, sour cream, cottage cheese, and ice cream mix products marketed throughout New York State under the Upstate Farms®, Bison®, and Intense Milk® brands.
Headquartered in Buffalo, Upstate Niagara will be adding the New York Certified seal to many of their fluid milk products in the coming months.
North Country
McCadam Cheese, which is owned by Agri-Mark, the leading dairy farmer cooperative in the Northeast, has also joined the New York State Grown & Certified program. McCadam, located in Franklin County, manufactures award-winning New York Cheddar, Muenster and European-style cheeses using milk from 588 New York dairy farms that adhere to the highest quality standards.
McCadam cheeses are sold in over 500 stores across the Northeast, including Hannaford and Price Chopper. Consumers can expect to see the Certified label on their products next year.
Capital Region
King Brothers Dairy is a family-owned farm and processor in Saratoga County. It is one of the remaining few dairy processors in the country that continue to deliver glass-bottled milk directly to customer’s doors.
It is known for its top, purebred Holstein cows and high-quality milk. King Brothers Dairy delivers to customers across the Capital Region, and their products can be found in an increasing number of groceries and small markets in the region.
Mid-Hudson
Hudson Valley Fresh Dairy is a cooperative of 10 dairy farmers located in Dutchess, Columbia and Ulster counties. It is dedicated to preserving the agricultural heritage of the Hudson River Valley and produces a wide selection of premium-quality dairy products.
Its milk, whole-milk, ice cream, half and half, heavy cream, yogurt and sour cream will all carry the Certified label. Consumers can find Hudson Valley Fresh products in nearly 100 locations in the Hudson Valley.
New York City
Beecher’s Handmade Cheese is an award-winning, urban cheesemaker located in New York City’s Flatiron District. Its unique, glass-enclosed cheesemaking kitchen gives visitors the opportunity to watch the company’s centuries-old cheesemaking process as it happens. Using milk from four local farms, Beecher’s produces a variety of specialty cheeses that are free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.
"The addition of these incredible dairy processors to the Grown & Certified program not only supports hundreds of family-owned farms in nearly every region of the state, it also gives consumers an opportunity to easily identify New York's world-class agricultural products that are made to a higher standard," said state Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball.
"Shoppers can feel good knowing the milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products made by these companies comes from farms and processing facilities that are committed to food safety and environmental sustainability,” Ball said.
“Byrne Dairy is proud to join the New York State Grown & Certified Program. Having locally sourced, farm-fresh milk for over 84 years, we believe that the Certified label will give our producer partners the recognition they deserve,” said Carl Byrne, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Byrne Dairy.
Six additional dairy processors have joined the New York State Grown & Certified program.
Consumers will soon be able to find the Certified label on select milk, yogurt and cheese products from Byrne Dairy, Upstate Niagara Cooperative, McCadam Cheese, King Brothers Dairy, Hudson Valley Fresh Dairy and Beecher’s Handmade Cheese.
These dairy processors source their milk from more than 1,200 farms across the State, providing significant support to New York’s largest agricultural sector.
"Dairy is a major part of our agricultural industry and the New York State Grown & Certified program will help to further grow this critical sector of this state's economy," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "By expanding this program to dairy, we promote even more of New York’s finest producers and hard-working farmers, connect consumers to high-quality products and support the growth of local economies."
New York State Grown & Certified is a promotional program that distinguishes agricultural products that are sourced from New York farms and made by producers who meet safe food handling practices and demonstrate environmental stewardship.
Last month, the governor announced a new partnership with Stewart’s Shops to expand New York State Grown & Certified to include Stewart’s milk, ice cream, half and half, heavy cream and eggs. Today’s announcement further advances the program’s goal of growing the State’s vital agricultural industry by highlighting New York farms and processors who meet a higher standard.
Central New York
Byrne Dairy, a fourth generation, family-owned dairy processor and distributor, has already placed the New York State Grown & Certified label on its new line of Byrne Hollow Farm organic milk products, which are sold in Whole Foods Markets, Byrne Dairy stores and other select retailers.
Later this month, consumers can begin to look for the Certified label on Byrne Dairy’s new line of Byrne Hollow Farm grass-fed milk products sold at BJ’s Wholesale Club locations. In the coming weeks, Byrne Dairy also plans to announce another new and exciting line of products bearing the Certified label.
Since the very beginning, Byrne Dairy has prided itself on working with hundreds of local and family farms — most of which are located no more than 40 miles from the company’s processing plants — to produce the freshest and best tasting dairy products.
Western New York
Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. is a food and beverage company owned by 345 New York dairy farm families, and has offered innovative, award-winning, high-quality dairy products to New York State residents for generations.
With a commitment to quality that extends to every stage of production, from the farm to the consumer, their products include milk, flavored milk beverages, yogurt, dip, sour cream, cottage cheese, and ice cream mix products marketed throughout New York State under the Upstate Farms®, Bison®, and Intense Milk® brands.
Headquartered in Buffalo, Upstate Niagara will be adding the New York Certified seal to many of their fluid milk products in the coming months.
North Country
McCadam Cheese, which is owned by Agri-Mark, the leading dairy farmer cooperative in the Northeast, has also joined the New York State Grown & Certified program. McCadam, located in Franklin County, manufactures award-winning New York Cheddar, Muenster and European-style cheeses using milk from 588 New York dairy farms that adhere to the highest quality standards.
McCadam cheeses are sold in over 500 stores across the Northeast, including Hannaford and Price Chopper. Consumers can expect to see the Certified label on their products next year.
Capital Region
King Brothers Dairy is a family-owned farm and processor in Saratoga County. It is one of the remaining few dairy processors in the country that continue to deliver glass-bottled milk directly to customer’s doors.
It is known for its top, purebred Holstein cows and high-quality milk. King Brothers Dairy delivers to customers across the Capital Region, and their products can be found in an increasing number of groceries and small markets in the region.
Mid-Hudson
Hudson Valley Fresh Dairy is a cooperative of 10 dairy farmers located in Dutchess, Columbia and Ulster counties. It is dedicated to preserving the agricultural heritage of the Hudson River Valley and produces a wide selection of premium-quality dairy products.
Its milk, whole-milk, ice cream, half and half, heavy cream, yogurt and sour cream will all carry the Certified label. Consumers can find Hudson Valley Fresh products in nearly 100 locations in the Hudson Valley.
New York City
Beecher’s Handmade Cheese is an award-winning, urban cheesemaker located in New York City’s Flatiron District. Its unique, glass-enclosed cheesemaking kitchen gives visitors the opportunity to watch the company’s centuries-old cheesemaking process as it happens. Using milk from four local farms, Beecher’s produces a variety of specialty cheeses that are free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.
"The addition of these incredible dairy processors to the Grown & Certified program not only supports hundreds of family-owned farms in nearly every region of the state, it also gives consumers an opportunity to easily identify New York's world-class agricultural products that are made to a higher standard," said state Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball.
"Shoppers can feel good knowing the milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products made by these companies comes from farms and processing facilities that are committed to food safety and environmental sustainability,” Ball said.
“Byrne Dairy is proud to join the New York State Grown & Certified Program. Having locally sourced, farm-fresh milk for over 84 years, we believe that the Certified label will give our producer partners the recognition they deserve,” said Carl Byrne, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Byrne Dairy.
Saturday, April 15, 2017
Important for Farmers To Know How To Properly Spread Manure
Check out this story about manure spreading.
Go to http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news03/manure-a-key-for-soil-respect-for-neighbors-a-part-of-the-mix-20150419 to find the story.
Go to http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news03/manure-a-key-for-soil-respect-for-neighbors-a-part-of-the-mix-20150419 to find the story.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Winter Storm Stella Wreaks Havoc on Many Farms
From Empire Farm & Dairy magazine
By DEBRA J. GROOM
dgroom@wdt.net
Winter Storm Stella was not a friend to some New York farmers.
Snow piled up so fast and the wind was so ferocious March 14 and 15 that milk trucks couldn’t get to some farms to pick up their precious, perishable cargo.
Terri DiNitto and her husband Tony milk more than 500 cows on a farm in Marcy, Oneida County. She said their milk tanks were filled from one milking and they were ready to milk the cows again at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 14 when the milk hauler said he couldn’t make it to their farm.
“The county roads were closed and he just couldn’t get here,” she said. “We got about 26 inches, but nothing was plowed. We had 10-foot drifts. The plow trucks were getting stuck.”
So the DiNittos had to dump about 2,000 gallons of milk from the earlier milking. They are not sure if they will get any money from the dumped milk.
“We’re working with DFA (Dairy Farmers of America), our co-op, and we might have to go through insurance,” DiNitto said. “We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”
The DiNittos kept folks up to date on their situation on their Facebook page -- DiNitto Farms. Here is an entry from about 6 p.m. March 14: “Dairy farms don’t shut down during a storm. Right now we’re not sure if our milk is going to get picked up. If not ... we’ll have to dump some. We have insurance. But it’s a terrible thing to watch milk go down the drain.”
Ruth McCuin, who works for Agri-Mark, a dairy cooperative based in Andover, Mass., said five farms that supply milk to Agri-Mark had to dump milk due to the storm.
“As of today (March 16), everything is back to normal,” she said.
In addition to milk haulers not being able to get to farms, some haulers who were picking up milk had no where to take it. Both DiNitto and McCuin said so many milk plants closed that many haulers were left with trucks filled with milk and no where to go.
“When that happens, they have to call the dispatcher and see if there is any other plant that will take their milk,” McCuin said. Some large milk users, like the Chobani yogurt plant in New Berlin, Chenango County, were closed. McCuin said all of the Agri-Mark plants, that make McCadam and Cabot cheeses and other dairy products, were open and took milk.
Some milk haulers who were fortunate enough to get through to farms and pick up milk also ended up taking different routes to their destination plants.
McCuin said one hauler who picked up milk in Saratoga County jumped on the Thruway to head west to make his delivery. But the Thruway was closed to large truck traffic as of March 14, per the order of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
She said the hauler had to take the long way around from Saratoga on back roads.
She heard about another hauler already on the Thruway who was pulled over and told to get off at the next exit. When he got to the exit no one was there, so he kept going, McCuin said.
Another casualty of Winter Storm Stella was a barn in Cherry Valley, Otsego County.
According to the Oneonta Daily Star, about 10 dairy cows died after the storm’s high winds collapsed a barn on the Young farm on Dietsche Road.
Howard Young said about 250 cows were inside at the time, so the disaster could have been much worse. The Daily Star story said the collapse destroyed between 200 and 300 feet of building and trapped about 30 cows. Several of the animals died instantly and others had to be put down. No people were injured.
By DEBRA J. GROOM
dgroom@wdt.net
 |
| Milk dumping photo courtesy DiNitto Farms |
Snow piled up so fast and the wind was so ferocious March 14 and 15 that milk trucks couldn’t get to some farms to pick up their precious, perishable cargo.
Terri DiNitto and her husband Tony milk more than 500 cows on a farm in Marcy, Oneida County. She said their milk tanks were filled from one milking and they were ready to milk the cows again at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 14 when the milk hauler said he couldn’t make it to their farm.
“The county roads were closed and he just couldn’t get here,” she said. “We got about 26 inches, but nothing was plowed. We had 10-foot drifts. The plow trucks were getting stuck.”
So the DiNittos had to dump about 2,000 gallons of milk from the earlier milking. They are not sure if they will get any money from the dumped milk.
“We’re working with DFA (Dairy Farmers of America), our co-op, and we might have to go through insurance,” DiNitto said. “We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”
The DiNittos kept folks up to date on their situation on their Facebook page -- DiNitto Farms. Here is an entry from about 6 p.m. March 14: “Dairy farms don’t shut down during a storm. Right now we’re not sure if our milk is going to get picked up. If not ... we’ll have to dump some. We have insurance. But it’s a terrible thing to watch milk go down the drain.”
Ruth McCuin, who works for Agri-Mark, a dairy cooperative based in Andover, Mass., said five farms that supply milk to Agri-Mark had to dump milk due to the storm.
“As of today (March 16), everything is back to normal,” she said.
In addition to milk haulers not being able to get to farms, some haulers who were picking up milk had no where to take it. Both DiNitto and McCuin said so many milk plants closed that many haulers were left with trucks filled with milk and no where to go.
“When that happens, they have to call the dispatcher and see if there is any other plant that will take their milk,” McCuin said. Some large milk users, like the Chobani yogurt plant in New Berlin, Chenango County, were closed. McCuin said all of the Agri-Mark plants, that make McCadam and Cabot cheeses and other dairy products, were open and took milk.
Some milk haulers who were fortunate enough to get through to farms and pick up milk also ended up taking different routes to their destination plants.
McCuin said one hauler who picked up milk in Saratoga County jumped on the Thruway to head west to make his delivery. But the Thruway was closed to large truck traffic as of March 14, per the order of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
She said the hauler had to take the long way around from Saratoga on back roads.
She heard about another hauler already on the Thruway who was pulled over and told to get off at the next exit. When he got to the exit no one was there, so he kept going, McCuin said.
Another casualty of Winter Storm Stella was a barn in Cherry Valley, Otsego County.
According to the Oneonta Daily Star, about 10 dairy cows died after the storm’s high winds collapsed a barn on the Young farm on Dietsche Road.
Howard Young said about 250 cows were inside at the time, so the disaster could have been much worse. The Daily Star story said the collapse destroyed between 200 and 300 feet of building and trapped about 30 cows. Several of the animals died instantly and others had to be put down. No people were injured.
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
New York's Milk Marketing Advisory Council Meets Again
From the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets
The state Department of Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball today
(Nov. 29) announced the department has reconvened the Milk Marketing Advisory
Council (MMAC), which
was created to advise the commissioner on issues important to the dairy
industry.
The council met today to
discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the state’s largest agricultural sector.
The
MMAC is composed of more than 24 members from the dairy
manufacturing and processing sectors, from dairy farmer cooperative
associations, in addition to
milk consumers and representatives of milk retailers.
The Advisory
Council’s goal is to advise the ag commissioner on policy issues impacting New
York’s dairy industry, and provides a forum for communication
and networking between dairy community leaders.
Today,
the MMAC discussed topics including the current milk market situation,
increased production, and trade agreement policies, in particular
with Canada. This comes on the heels of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, expressing his opposition
to proposed regulations that would create a barrier for New York’s dairy
farmers exporting a key New York dairy product to Canada.
Cuomo
called on the Canadian government to develop
a national agreement to mutually benefit trade across borders.
In addition, the department provided in-depth information on the state’s New York State Grown & Certified food labeling program. Launched in August, the program assures
consumers that the food they are buying is local and produced to a
higher standard by requiring participating producers to adopt good
agricultural practices and enroll in an environmental management
program.
The program is being expanded to include dairy
producers and processors and will provide significant marketing
benefits to New York’s milk and dairy products industry. Learn more
about the Grown & Certified program by https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrNmWAF51Cc&feature=youtu.be clicking on this link.
The Milk Marketing Advisory Council will meet again June 1, 2017.
“I’m
pleased to reconvene the Milk Marketing Advisory Council and bring
together such a great group that represent the very best of the
industry — from our farmers to our processors to our retailers," Ball said.
"Today’s
meeting provided an opportunity for the group to delve into some of the
key issues the industry is facing today, such as market conditions and
trade barriers, but it also gave us the platform to inform our producers
and processors about some of the new exciting
marketing programs available, like the NYS Grown & Certified
program, to help our dairy businesses grow," he said. "I look forward to
continuing the great dialogue started here today.”
“The
dairy industry faces daunting challenges but also terrific
opportunities. We have seen the dairy industry
struggle with low milk prices, an unprecedented drought this summer and
continued consumer demand on the food system, but the dairy sector
rises to those challenges and provides great products," said Andrew M. Novakovic, Cornell University professor of agricultural economics and chair of the council.
"The industry
members who are represented on the commissioner’s
Milk Marketing Advisory Council are eager to assist the State in
providing input to improve the sound framework in which the dairy
industry operates,” Novakovic said.
New
York’s dairy industry ranks fourth in the nation for total milk
production with more than 14 billion pounds produced annually from
620,000 dairy cows. New York
has just over 4,800 dairy farms and generated $2.6 billion in 2015 from
the sale of milk, which represents nearly half of the state’s total
agricultural receipts.
New
York’s dairy industry also consists of nearly 400 dairy processors and
manufacturers, numerous dairy support services, such as veterinarians,
feed dealers, equipment
dealers and others as well thousands of retailers that provide milk and
dairy products to New Yorkers throughout the state.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
World Dairy Expo Celebrates 50 Years
From Empire Farm & Dairy magazine:
WORLD DAIRY EXPO
MADISON, Wis. — This year marks the 50th anniversary of World Dairy Expo — a celebration of the journey from a small World Food Expo in 1967, to the internationally renowned show of today.
This fall’s expo is set for Oct. 4-8, and the theme is “Celebrate 50!” to commemorate the show’s golden anniversary. The expo will take a look back at 50 years of history and the people whose passion and dedication helped build the show from the ground up.
In celebration of this exciting milestone, an open house, hosted by World Dairy Expo, will be held at 5 p.m. Oct. 5 in the Alliant Energy Center’s Exhibition Hall.
This free event will provide Expo stakeholders a chance to gather and exchange memories, while enjoying a night of food, fun and entertainment.
“The Open House is designed for anyone connected to World Dairy Expo, whether a cattle or commercial exhibitor, attendee or volunteer, judge or judging team member,” said Joan Lau, World Dairy Expo Board of Directors and 50th Anniversary Committee member. “Anyone who loves Expo is welcome to attend.
"It will be a fun evening to reminisce, share stories and celebrate the show’s rich history. It’s Expo’s way of saying thanks for 50 great years!” she said.
Elements from past years will also be featured throughout the grounds during the show. Expo-goers will have the chance to walk down memory lane with the 50th Anniversary Historical Display, located on the mezzanine level of New Holland Pavilion 1.
“The Historical Display will provide a glimpse into the past through photos and memorabilia collected over five decades,” said Debbie Crave, World Dairy Expo Board of Directors and 50th Anniversary Committee member. “Seeing how the show was built, past events and endless memories will add a unique touch to this year’s celebration.”
Special 50th anniversary events will take place throughout the week, starting with an official kick-off to the show during Tuesday morning’s Opening Ceremony, and continuing through the selection of Supreme Champion on Saturday evening.
Recognized as the meeting place for the global dairy industry, World Dairy Expo attracts more than 70,000 attendees from over 90 countries to Madison, Wis., each year.
Visit worlddairyexpo.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@WDExpo or #Celebrate50) for more information.
Entries are open through Aug. 31.
Dairy Cattle Show entries are now open for those wishing to exhibit at the 50th World Dairy Expo. Entry forms are available online through the Dairy Cattle Entry system or for print on the Expo website. Entries are due Aug. 31.
Late online entries will be accepted until Sept. 11 and paper entries will be accepted until the day of the show, both at an increased rate.
New this year, all animals must have an official USDA AIN or Canadian CCIA RFID number listed on the entry form at the time of submission. Animal entries lacking this number or with a pending identification status will not be accepted.
Entry information, a complete schedule of events, rules and other updates can be found in the Premium Book – mailed to recent dairy cattle exhibitors on July 1, or available online at worlddairyexpo.com.
New exhibitors can request a copy of the Premium Book by contacting the World Dairy Expo office at 608-224-6455 or entries@wdexpo.com.
WORLD DAIRY EXPO
MADISON, Wis. — This year marks the 50th anniversary of World Dairy Expo — a celebration of the journey from a small World Food Expo in 1967, to the internationally renowned show of today.
This fall’s expo is set for Oct. 4-8, and the theme is “Celebrate 50!” to commemorate the show’s golden anniversary. The expo will take a look back at 50 years of history and the people whose passion and dedication helped build the show from the ground up.
In celebration of this exciting milestone, an open house, hosted by World Dairy Expo, will be held at 5 p.m. Oct. 5 in the Alliant Energy Center’s Exhibition Hall.
This free event will provide Expo stakeholders a chance to gather and exchange memories, while enjoying a night of food, fun and entertainment.
“The Open House is designed for anyone connected to World Dairy Expo, whether a cattle or commercial exhibitor, attendee or volunteer, judge or judging team member,” said Joan Lau, World Dairy Expo Board of Directors and 50th Anniversary Committee member. “Anyone who loves Expo is welcome to attend.
"It will be a fun evening to reminisce, share stories and celebrate the show’s rich history. It’s Expo’s way of saying thanks for 50 great years!” she said.
Elements from past years will also be featured throughout the grounds during the show. Expo-goers will have the chance to walk down memory lane with the 50th Anniversary Historical Display, located on the mezzanine level of New Holland Pavilion 1.
“The Historical Display will provide a glimpse into the past through photos and memorabilia collected over five decades,” said Debbie Crave, World Dairy Expo Board of Directors and 50th Anniversary Committee member. “Seeing how the show was built, past events and endless memories will add a unique touch to this year’s celebration.”
Special 50th anniversary events will take place throughout the week, starting with an official kick-off to the show during Tuesday morning’s Opening Ceremony, and continuing through the selection of Supreme Champion on Saturday evening.
Recognized as the meeting place for the global dairy industry, World Dairy Expo attracts more than 70,000 attendees from over 90 countries to Madison, Wis., each year.
Visit worlddairyexpo.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@WDExpo or #Celebrate50) for more information.
Entries are open through Aug. 31.
Dairy Cattle Show entries are now open for those wishing to exhibit at the 50th World Dairy Expo. Entry forms are available online through the Dairy Cattle Entry system or for print on the Expo website. Entries are due Aug. 31.
Late online entries will be accepted until Sept. 11 and paper entries will be accepted until the day of the show, both at an increased rate.
New this year, all animals must have an official USDA AIN or Canadian CCIA RFID number listed on the entry form at the time of submission. Animal entries lacking this number or with a pending identification status will not be accepted.
Entry information, a complete schedule of events, rules and other updates can be found in the Premium Book – mailed to recent dairy cattle exhibitors on July 1, or available online at worlddairyexpo.com.
New exhibitors can request a copy of the Premium Book by contacting the World Dairy Expo office at 608-224-6455 or entries@wdexpo.com.
Friday, August 5, 2016
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Farmers Showed How They Handle Manure
Letter to the editor about manure in the Watertown Daily Times:
Check it out at http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/opinion/farmers-showed-how-they-handle-manure-20160720
Check it out at http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/opinion/farmers-showed-how-they-handle-manure-20160720
Sunday, July 17, 2016
It's National Ice Cream Day!!
But one particular day -- July 17 -- is also National Ice Cream Day.
What is your favorite flavor? Personally, I pretty much like them all.
According to the National Day Calendar website, here are some facts about ice cream:
- Ben Franklin, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were known to have been regular eaters of ice cream.
- First Lady Dolley Madison served ice cream at the Inaugural Ball in 1813.
- 1832 – African American confectioner, Augustus Jackson created multiple ice cream recipes as well as a superior technique to manufacture ice cream.
- 1843 – Philadelphian, Nancy Johnson, was issued the first U.S. patent for a small-scale hand-cranked ice cream freezer.
- It is said that today there are over 1,000 ice cream flavors.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
2016 Summer Crop Tour Comes to Cayuga County Aug. 4
The 2016 Summer Crop Tour put on by the Corn and Soybean Growers Association is set for 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Aug. 4 at Sunnyside Farms on Indian Field Road, Scipio Center, Cayuga County.
The event, titled "Optimizing Opportunities for Cows, Corn and Soybeans," will include a talk on maximizing profits in 2016, a panel discussions titled Cultivating the Relationship Between Cash Crop and Dairy Farmers, and breakout sessions on a large variety of topics. Lunch is included.
Some of the breakout session topics include
The event, titled "Optimizing Opportunities for Cows, Corn and Soybeans," will include a talk on maximizing profits in 2016, a panel discussions titled Cultivating the Relationship Between Cash Crop and Dairy Farmers, and breakout sessions on a large variety of topics. Lunch is included.
Some of the breakout session topics include
- Optimizing Variable Rate Seeding in NYS with Savanna Crossman
- Analyzing root function by digging though root pits in corn, soy and undisturbed ground and discussing soil health improvement as the foundation for growing great crops with David DeGolyer
- Maximizing yield potential of a hybrid and the soils using the Nitrogen response Trial in Corn with Brian Boerman
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Happy Cow Appreciation Day!
Hey everyone! It's Cow Appreciation Day.
Hug a cow today -- or maybe, just hug the farmer that takes care of her.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Equine, Dairy Camp June 3 and 4 in Morrisville
From Morrisville State College:
Area youth interested in equine and dairy will converge on the Morrisville State College campus June 3 and 4, for a two-day 4–H Equine and Dairy 101 Camp.
Sessions will be taught by college faculty and staff and other industry professionals.
Area youth interested in equine and dairy will converge on the Morrisville State College campus June 3 and 4, for a two-day 4–H Equine and Dairy 101 Camp.
The
camp gives 4-H youths, ages 13-19 from across the state, the
opportunity to learn more about the equine and dairy industries,
career options in the field, educational opportunities offered at the
college, and to see the college’s state-of-the-art facilities.
During
the camp/college experience, students interested in dairy can learn
about calf, heifer and cow management, along with reproduction.
Equine participants will have a chance to learn more about Western,
English, racing and draft/driving.
Youth will also participate in
sessions on breeding and nutrition as well as team-building activities
and an ice cream social.
The camp, offered through Cornell Cooperative Extension, will also include a trip to Oneida County's Farm Fest, as well as a presentation on therapeutic horsemanship by Andrea Colella, executive director at From the Ground Up Therapeutic Horsemanship Inc., in New Woodstock.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Innovative New Yorkers Prominent in Dairy History
June is Dairy Month, so how better to celebrate than to look at the lives of some prominent New Yorkers who changed the dairy industry. Here is my story from the June issue of Empire Farm & Dairy magazine:
By DEBRA J. GROOM
Empire Farm & Dairy
There are quite a number of New Yorkers who have provided notable inventions or knowledge to the dairy industry.
Without some of them, the industry would be quite different today.
Sit back and read about some of these historic dairy New Yorkers:
Horace Backus (1927-present)
Backus, 88, is often referred to as the “dean of pedigrees” for his work in Holstein genetics.
A long-time resident of Mexico, Oswego County, Backus is widely known and respected across the country for his knowledge of Holstein genetics and lifetime of experience in the dairy sales arena.
He began working in his father’s Backus Pedigree Office at age 15, and kept learning about the field until he stepped into the box as a pedigree reader for the first time 10 years later, filling in for his ill father, R. Austin Backus.
Following his father’s retirement, Horace and his brothers formed a company to continue the sale and pedigree business with the same values and integrity their father had instilled in them.
The business was sold in 1983, and Horace continued, as he does today, as a freelance pedigree reader. In total, he estimates he has read pedigrees at more than 3,000 sales and assisted with the preparation of more than 5,000 catalogs, each sale receiving the same special care and attention as the one before it.
Backus is also respected as an author, having written several books throughout the years, telling the story of many prolific breeding operations and providing his personal insights on the Holstein industry.
Backus has never shied away from becoming involved with organizations and causes he is passionate about. In addition to groups in his hometown, he also was elected to the Holstein Association USA board of directors in 1987, a seat which he held until 1995, and has also been involved with the association’s audit committee, and served as a delegate for New York for several years.
He has received numerous honors, such as being named World Dairy Expo’s 2010 Industry Person of the Year, and being inducted as an honorary member of the Klussendorf Association in 2003.
He also was the first-ever recipient of the Pennsylvania Holstein Association’s Distinguished Supporter Award and received the 2013 Distinguished Leadership award at the Holstein Association USA convention.
Also, a scholarship for young dairy producers to attend the Holstein Foundation’s Young Dairy Leaders Institute was created in Backus’s name about three years ago.
Former HolsteinWorld publisher Joel Hastings summed Backus up this way: “A case can be made that Horace Backus, more than any other single individual, has contributed to the growth in value of Registered Holsteins throughout his career as a sales manager, pedigree expert, association leader and adviser to hundreds in the industry.
“He is the epitome of all that is positive in our business, knowledge, respect and enthusiasm, with unwavering integrity in every single instance.”
To hear Backus speak about some well-known Holsteins, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSMaYzFamoU.
William Dempster Hoard (1836 - 1918)
The name William Dempster Hoard is well-known to all in the dairy industry.
The namesake of Hoard’s Dairyman, the first national dairy magazine in the United States which still publishes today, Hoard was born and raised in Stockbridge, in Madison County east of Syracuse. He was the son of a farmer and Methodist minister and worked throughout his boyhood on the dairy farm.
He left New York and moved to Wisconsin as an adult and became an advocate for that state’s agriculture industry. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, he was responsible for making those in Wisconsin aware of dairy and eventually turning Wisconsin into the dairy power it is today.
“In 1870, Hoard launched a weekly newspaper, the Jefferson County Union, in Lake Mills, but moved the operation to Fort Atkinson (where it remains to this day) three years later,” according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.
“At the same time, Hoard began a vigorous campaign to improve and grow dairy farming, asserting that Wisconsin was particularly well suited to the industry. He crusaded to get farmers who were losing money due to poor soil and crop yields to switch to dairying."
According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, in 1872, Hoard organized a dairying convention in Watertown, Wis. where he founded the State Dairyman’s Association, the first of its kind in the nation. Hoard became president of the Northwestern Dairymen’s Association in 1876. His crusade for a prosperous dairy industry prompted the founding of Hoard’s Dairyman, the national dairy farm magazine, in 1885.
He eventually became governor of Wisconsin. He also financed the first cow census, recommended the making of hay silage for feeding cattle and introduced the first youth organization for rural children, the precursor of today’s 4-H and FFA.
He continued to work for daily farmers after being governor. Today, he is remembered with a marble and bronze statue on the campus of the University of Wisconsin.
Gerrit Smith Miller (1845-1937)
Without this Madison County resident, Holstein herds possibly wouldn’t exist in New York state.
Miller, grandson of famed Madison County abolitionist Gerrit Smith, brought in the first herd of Friesan-Holstein breed cattle that survived and multiplied in the United States.
He then began keeping track of the characteristics of each cow and how much milk she produced in order to figure out which cows to breed with which bulls for maximum production.
Today, farmers look at long forms filled with statistics when it comes time to breed their cows. They want to match the best characteristics of cow and bull to produce new cows that will produce more milk for more years. Gerrit Smith Miller, of Peterboro, was a first to keep track of how much milk a cow produces and the names of each cow’s sire and dam.
Another Madison County native, Solomon Hoxie (1829-1917), also began in the 1800s keeping track of cows’ physical traits. The information kept by Miller and Hoxie were combined to come up with the advanced registry and the classification registry used by Holstein farmers today to decide which bulls should mate with which cows.
Stephen Moulton Babcock (1843-1931)
Without Stephen Moulton Babcock, farmers wouldn’t have a way to know the fat content of their milk.
While he was a professor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, he invented a test to measure butterfat content. This allowed farmers to produce cheese, cream, butter, ice cream and other dairy products that met the dairy industry standards.
Babcock was born and raised in Bridgewater, in Oneida County and received his bachelor’s degree from Tufts College in 1866. He was studying engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute when his father died and he had to leave school to manage the farm.
He eventually did return to school, receiving a doctorate in chemistry in 1879. He taught at Cornell University in 1881 but left in 1882 to become chief chemist at the New York Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. After about six years there, he left for a similar position at the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station.
Babcock’s butterfat tester was introduced in 1890. He used sulfuric acid to release the fat and by doing so, was able to measure directly the percentage of fat by observing it in the neck of a specially designed test bottle.
Babcock also is credited with working with bacteriologist Harry L. Russell to develop a process for cold curing of cheese, which led to an improvement in the quality of cheese.
Maurice S. Prescott (1892-1976)
Maurice Prescott, of Sandy Creek, Oswego County, was an early partner in Holstein-Friesian World magazine and was editor for 60 years, putting the publication in a preeminent spot in the Holstein and dairy industry.
He was born on a dairy farm outside Lacona, graduated from Sandy Creek High School, attended Cornell University and then began working with E.M. Hastings on the staff of Holstein-Friesian World.
He became editor in 1918 and served in that post until his death. He owned a publishing company in Sandy Creek for many year, the Corse Press, which also published the local newspaper.
As editor of Holsein-Friesian World, he founded the popular All-American contest, a photo competition at the conclusion of each cattle show season that has since been adopted by all breeds. He advocated successfully against the use of retouched photos in promotions and advertisements. He co-authored and published several editions of Holstein history notably the 1960 edition of Holstein-Friesian History.
He was recognized in 1963 by the National Dairy Shrine with its “Guest of Honor” award for being a contemporary dairy leader with outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the dairy industry. He also was honored by the World Dairy Expo.
Hervey Thatcher (1835-1925)
In 1884, Dr. Hervey D. Thatcher of Potsdam invented three items that were important to the dairy industry.
His most famous was the milk bottle. While running a store in Canton and working as a pharmacist in Potsdam, he was watching some women come to a milk delivery truck to fill their buckets with milk using a ladle kept on the truck.
He thought there had to be a better way to deliver milk — one that would keep out contaminants and not affect the quality or taste of the milk.
He came up with the glass milk bottle.
He eventually sold off the milk bottle making business to others. But Thatcher Manufacturing Co., which had a factory in Elmira for years, was once the largest manufacturer of milk bottles in the country. The business died off with the popularity of the paper milk carton.
His other inventions were a device called a Milk Protector, that helped keep dirt and other residue out of milk when it was being collected from the cow. The other was the coloring that makes butter look yellow. A story about Thatcher called it the best butter coloring of that day and said evidence shows it was the first butter coloring used in the United States.
William H. Miner (1862-1939)
It’s hard to believe a person who started life in Wisconsin and lived a good part of his life in the Midwest would be so influential to New York agriculture.
But that’s the case with William H. Miner.
His early working days were spent as a machine shop apprentice with the Wabash Railway Co. After he invented and received a patent for a rigging device that provided reliable shock protection for refrigerated rail cars, he founded his own company — W.H. Miner Company — making draft riggings for railway cars. He soon was a multimillionaire.
But as a biography of him states: “He made his money in the bustling metropolis of Chicago, but put his heart in the rural life of New York’s North Country.”
Miner, who descended from men who owned farmland in Chazy, Clinton County, was left land by a deceased relative and returned to Chazy in 1903. He and his wife Alice owned more than 15,000 acres and Miner dived feet first into dairy farming, including installing one of the first vacuum milking systems in North America.
Eventually, Heart’s Delight Farm would be selling meat, eggs, dairy, fruit and vegetables to customers large and small, including some well known hotels in New York City and Chicago.
Today, Miner can be thanked for the William H. Miner Foundation, which funds the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute (or Miner Institute), “for the operation and maintenance of an experimental farm, for training young men and women in practical and theoretical farming,” according to a description of the institute.
Ezra Cornell (1807-1874)
On the 200th anniversary of Ezra Cornell’s birth, the Cornell alumni magazine stated: “He went from bankruptcy to great wealth within a few days.”
This wealth gave Cornell pause as he labored to decide what to do with the money. He once wrote: “My greatest care now is how to spend this large income, to do the most good.”
What he did is establish Cornell University, one of the foremost colleges in the United States and a top university for study in agriculture.
“While the Morrill Land Grant College Act mandated support for the teaching of agriculture and engineering, Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, of Syracuse, considered it essential that these studies be integrated with a broad liberal education,” according to a story in the Cornell bicentennial birthday exhibition.
Said Cornell himself during his speech at the opening of the university Oct. 7, 1868: “I hope that we have laid the foundation of an institution which shall combine practical with liberal education, which shall fit the youth of our country for the professions, the farms, the mines, the manufactories, for the investigations of science, and for mastering all the practical questions of life with success and honor. . . . I trust we have laid the foundation of an university — ‘an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.’”
Jesse Williams (1798-1864)
At one time, New York state was the king of cheese.
And it got that way thanks to a man named Jesse Williams.
Williams, of Rome, Oneida County, is credited with opening the first cheese manufacturing factory in the state. Before that, most farmers made cheese on their individual farms.
But Williams opened this first cheese factory in Rome in 1851, taking in milk from area farmers. Within 15 years, there were 500 cheese factories in New York state.
During the 100th anniversary celebration of the founding of the cheese factory, John H. Kraft, president of Kraft Foods, said “pioneers like Jesse Williams … (fathered) the ideas and tools that have made America great. He exemplified the spirit which has made the dairy industry the largest agricultural industry in America.”
Williams also was instrumental in founding the New York State Cheese Manufacturers’ Association and then the American Dairymen’s Association.
By DEBRA J. GROOM
Empire Farm & Dairy
There are quite a number of New Yorkers who have provided notable inventions or knowledge to the dairy industry.
Without some of them, the industry would be quite different today.
Sit back and read about some of these historic dairy New Yorkers:
Backus, 88, is often referred to as the “dean of pedigrees” for his work in Holstein genetics.
 |
| Backus |
He began working in his father’s Backus Pedigree Office at age 15, and kept learning about the field until he stepped into the box as a pedigree reader for the first time 10 years later, filling in for his ill father, R. Austin Backus.
Following his father’s retirement, Horace and his brothers formed a company to continue the sale and pedigree business with the same values and integrity their father had instilled in them.
The business was sold in 1983, and Horace continued, as he does today, as a freelance pedigree reader. In total, he estimates he has read pedigrees at more than 3,000 sales and assisted with the preparation of more than 5,000 catalogs, each sale receiving the same special care and attention as the one before it.
Backus is also respected as an author, having written several books throughout the years, telling the story of many prolific breeding operations and providing his personal insights on the Holstein industry.
Backus has never shied away from becoming involved with organizations and causes he is passionate about. In addition to groups in his hometown, he also was elected to the Holstein Association USA board of directors in 1987, a seat which he held until 1995, and has also been involved with the association’s audit committee, and served as a delegate for New York for several years.
He has received numerous honors, such as being named World Dairy Expo’s 2010 Industry Person of the Year, and being inducted as an honorary member of the Klussendorf Association in 2003.
He also was the first-ever recipient of the Pennsylvania Holstein Association’s Distinguished Supporter Award and received the 2013 Distinguished Leadership award at the Holstein Association USA convention.
Also, a scholarship for young dairy producers to attend the Holstein Foundation’s Young Dairy Leaders Institute was created in Backus’s name about three years ago.
Former HolsteinWorld publisher Joel Hastings summed Backus up this way: “A case can be made that Horace Backus, more than any other single individual, has contributed to the growth in value of Registered Holsteins throughout his career as a sales manager, pedigree expert, association leader and adviser to hundreds in the industry.
“He is the epitome of all that is positive in our business, knowledge, respect and enthusiasm, with unwavering integrity in every single instance.”
To hear Backus speak about some well-known Holsteins, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSMaYzFamoU.
William Dempster Hoard (1836 - 1918)
 |
| Hoard |
The namesake of Hoard’s Dairyman, the first national dairy magazine in the United States which still publishes today, Hoard was born and raised in Stockbridge, in Madison County east of Syracuse. He was the son of a farmer and Methodist minister and worked throughout his boyhood on the dairy farm.
He left New York and moved to Wisconsin as an adult and became an advocate for that state’s agriculture industry. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, he was responsible for making those in Wisconsin aware of dairy and eventually turning Wisconsin into the dairy power it is today.
“In 1870, Hoard launched a weekly newspaper, the Jefferson County Union, in Lake Mills, but moved the operation to Fort Atkinson (where it remains to this day) three years later,” according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.
“At the same time, Hoard began a vigorous campaign to improve and grow dairy farming, asserting that Wisconsin was particularly well suited to the industry. He crusaded to get farmers who were losing money due to poor soil and crop yields to switch to dairying."
According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, in 1872, Hoard organized a dairying convention in Watertown, Wis. where he founded the State Dairyman’s Association, the first of its kind in the nation. Hoard became president of the Northwestern Dairymen’s Association in 1876. His crusade for a prosperous dairy industry prompted the founding of Hoard’s Dairyman, the national dairy farm magazine, in 1885.
He eventually became governor of Wisconsin. He also financed the first cow census, recommended the making of hay silage for feeding cattle and introduced the first youth organization for rural children, the precursor of today’s 4-H and FFA.
He continued to work for daily farmers after being governor. Today, he is remembered with a marble and bronze statue on the campus of the University of Wisconsin.
Gerrit Smith Miller (1845-1937)
 |
| Miller |
Miller, grandson of famed Madison County abolitionist Gerrit Smith, brought in the first herd of Friesan-Holstein breed cattle that survived and multiplied in the United States.
He then began keeping track of the characteristics of each cow and how much milk she produced in order to figure out which cows to breed with which bulls for maximum production.
Today, farmers look at long forms filled with statistics when it comes time to breed their cows. They want to match the best characteristics of cow and bull to produce new cows that will produce more milk for more years. Gerrit Smith Miller, of Peterboro, was a first to keep track of how much milk a cow produces and the names of each cow’s sire and dam.
Another Madison County native, Solomon Hoxie (1829-1917), also began in the 1800s keeping track of cows’ physical traits. The information kept by Miller and Hoxie were combined to come up with the advanced registry and the classification registry used by Holstein farmers today to decide which bulls should mate with which cows.
Stephen Moulton Babcock (1843-1931)
 |
| Babcock, courtesy Cornell University |
While he was a professor at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, he invented a test to measure butterfat content. This allowed farmers to produce cheese, cream, butter, ice cream and other dairy products that met the dairy industry standards.
Babcock was born and raised in Bridgewater, in Oneida County and received his bachelor’s degree from Tufts College in 1866. He was studying engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute when his father died and he had to leave school to manage the farm.
He eventually did return to school, receiving a doctorate in chemistry in 1879. He taught at Cornell University in 1881 but left in 1882 to become chief chemist at the New York Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. After about six years there, he left for a similar position at the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station.
Babcock’s butterfat tester was introduced in 1890. He used sulfuric acid to release the fat and by doing so, was able to measure directly the percentage of fat by observing it in the neck of a specially designed test bottle.
Babcock also is credited with working with bacteriologist Harry L. Russell to develop a process for cold curing of cheese, which led to an improvement in the quality of cheese.
Maurice S. Prescott (1892-1976)
 |
| Prescott |
He was born on a dairy farm outside Lacona, graduated from Sandy Creek High School, attended Cornell University and then began working with E.M. Hastings on the staff of Holstein-Friesian World.
He became editor in 1918 and served in that post until his death. He owned a publishing company in Sandy Creek for many year, the Corse Press, which also published the local newspaper.
As editor of Holsein-Friesian World, he founded the popular All-American contest, a photo competition at the conclusion of each cattle show season that has since been adopted by all breeds. He advocated successfully against the use of retouched photos in promotions and advertisements. He co-authored and published several editions of Holstein history notably the 1960 edition of Holstein-Friesian History.
He was recognized in 1963 by the National Dairy Shrine with its “Guest of Honor” award for being a contemporary dairy leader with outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the dairy industry. He also was honored by the World Dairy Expo.
Hervey Thatcher (1835-1925)
 |
| Thatcher |
His most famous was the milk bottle. While running a store in Canton and working as a pharmacist in Potsdam, he was watching some women come to a milk delivery truck to fill their buckets with milk using a ladle kept on the truck.
He thought there had to be a better way to deliver milk — one that would keep out contaminants and not affect the quality or taste of the milk.
He came up with the glass milk bottle.
He eventually sold off the milk bottle making business to others. But Thatcher Manufacturing Co., which had a factory in Elmira for years, was once the largest manufacturer of milk bottles in the country. The business died off with the popularity of the paper milk carton.
His other inventions were a device called a Milk Protector, that helped keep dirt and other residue out of milk when it was being collected from the cow. The other was the coloring that makes butter look yellow. A story about Thatcher called it the best butter coloring of that day and said evidence shows it was the first butter coloring used in the United States.
William H. Miner (1862-1939)
It’s hard to believe a person who started life in Wisconsin and lived a good part of his life in the Midwest would be so influential to New York agriculture.
But that’s the case with William H. Miner.
His early working days were spent as a machine shop apprentice with the Wabash Railway Co. After he invented and received a patent for a rigging device that provided reliable shock protection for refrigerated rail cars, he founded his own company — W.H. Miner Company — making draft riggings for railway cars. He soon was a multimillionaire.
But as a biography of him states: “He made his money in the bustling metropolis of Chicago, but put his heart in the rural life of New York’s North Country.”
Miner, who descended from men who owned farmland in Chazy, Clinton County, was left land by a deceased relative and returned to Chazy in 1903. He and his wife Alice owned more than 15,000 acres and Miner dived feet first into dairy farming, including installing one of the first vacuum milking systems in North America.
Eventually, Heart’s Delight Farm would be selling meat, eggs, dairy, fruit and vegetables to customers large and small, including some well known hotels in New York City and Chicago.
Today, Miner can be thanked for the William H. Miner Foundation, which funds the William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute (or Miner Institute), “for the operation and maintenance of an experimental farm, for training young men and women in practical and theoretical farming,” according to a description of the institute.
Ezra Cornell (1807-1874)
 |
| Ezra Cornell, courtesy Cornell University |
This wealth gave Cornell pause as he labored to decide what to do with the money. He once wrote: “My greatest care now is how to spend this large income, to do the most good.”
What he did is establish Cornell University, one of the foremost colleges in the United States and a top university for study in agriculture.
“While the Morrill Land Grant College Act mandated support for the teaching of agriculture and engineering, Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, of Syracuse, considered it essential that these studies be integrated with a broad liberal education,” according to a story in the Cornell bicentennial birthday exhibition.
Said Cornell himself during his speech at the opening of the university Oct. 7, 1868: “I hope that we have laid the foundation of an institution which shall combine practical with liberal education, which shall fit the youth of our country for the professions, the farms, the mines, the manufactories, for the investigations of science, and for mastering all the practical questions of life with success and honor. . . . I trust we have laid the foundation of an university — ‘an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.’”
Jesse Williams (1798-1864)
At one time, New York state was the king of cheese.
And it got that way thanks to a man named Jesse Williams.
Williams, of Rome, Oneida County, is credited with opening the first cheese manufacturing factory in the state. Before that, most farmers made cheese on their individual farms.
But Williams opened this first cheese factory in Rome in 1851, taking in milk from area farmers. Within 15 years, there were 500 cheese factories in New York state.
During the 100th anniversary celebration of the founding of the cheese factory, John H. Kraft, president of Kraft Foods, said “pioneers like Jesse Williams … (fathered) the ideas and tools that have made America great. He exemplified the spirit which has made the dairy industry the largest agricultural industry in America.”
Williams also was instrumental in founding the New York State Cheese Manufacturers’ Association and then the American Dairymen’s Association.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Dairy Farmer Takes On Temple Grandin
A great read.
Comments, anyone??
Go to http://www.hoards.com/blog_Temple-Grandin-said-that to see the story.
Comments, anyone??
Go to http://www.hoards.com/blog_Temple-Grandin-said-that to see the story.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
All Milk in Stores is Antibiotic Free
Something everybody should read.
When you hear those commercials touting "antibiotic-free milk," don't be fooled.
Go to http://www.hoards.com/Intel/160307_art1 to see the story.
When you hear those commercials touting "antibiotic-free milk," don't be fooled.
Go to http://www.hoards.com/Intel/160307_art1 to see the story.
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Spring Dairy Carousel Beings Friday
The New York Spring Dairy Carousel is
scheduled for April 8 to 11 at the New York State Fairgrounds in Geddes,
just west of Syracuse.
New York Spring Dairy Carousel is
recognized as the most prestigious and largest spring dairy event in
North America. All seven major dairy breeds are represented in eight
shows, five sales and several junior activities.
In 2015, more than 1,000 animals from 20 states and Canada attended and several thousand people attended the four-day event.
The event is open to the public and admission and parking are free. Food is available.
Exhibitors and staff are happy to answer questions about cattle and the dairy industry during the show.
Here is a schedule of shows and sales:
8 a.m. April 7, barns open and cattle may move in
7 p.m. April 7, all cattle must be in place.
8 a.m. April 8, Holstein USA National Judging Conference
Noon April 8, junior showmanship.
2:30 p.m. April 8, Richard Keene Memorial Judging Contest, juniors welcome
6 p.m. April 8, protein breeds sale (Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Milking Shorthorn).
9 a.m. April 9, New York Junior Holstein Show, (resident New York juniors).
1 p.m. April 9, Ayrshire show
1 p.m. April 9, Guernsey show.
4 p.m. April 9, New York Spring Holstein Sale.
6 p.m. April 10, protein breeds sale.
8 a.m. April 10, Red & White show.
9 a.m. April 10, Milking Shorthorn show.
12:30 p.m. April 10, Jersey show and Brown Swiss show.
8 a.m. April 11, International Spring Holstein Show.
 |
| Holsteins grazing in New York. |
In 2015, more than 1,000 animals from 20 states and Canada attended and several thousand people attended the four-day event.
The event is open to the public and admission and parking are free. Food is available.
Exhibitors and staff are happy to answer questions about cattle and the dairy industry during the show.
Here is a schedule of shows and sales:
8 a.m. April 7, barns open and cattle may move in
7 p.m. April 7, all cattle must be in place.
8 a.m. April 8, Holstein USA National Judging Conference
Noon April 8, junior showmanship.
2:30 p.m. April 8, Richard Keene Memorial Judging Contest, juniors welcome
6 p.m. April 8, protein breeds sale (Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Milking Shorthorn).
9 a.m. April 9, New York Junior Holstein Show, (resident New York juniors).
1 p.m. April 9, Ayrshire show
1 p.m. April 9, Guernsey show.
4 p.m. April 9, New York Spring Holstein Sale.
6 p.m. April 10, protein breeds sale.
8 a.m. April 10, Red & White show.
9 a.m. April 10, Milking Shorthorn show.
12:30 p.m. April 10, Jersey show and Brown Swiss show.
8 a.m. April 11, International Spring Holstein Show.
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