Legislators Go After NYC for Proposal to Ban Flavored Milks

Check out the Watertown Daily Times  story here https://www.nny360.com/top_stories/stefanik-others-arguing-against-nyc-schools-chocolate-milk-ban/article_366b66af-8938-5cfa-bb3e-b1d0d97e3d4f.html

Farm Credit East Provides Updates on Agriculture Economic Conditions

Farm Credit East recently launched a section on its website containing snapshots for nine Northeast agriculture industries. 

These snapshots provide industry-specific year-to-date updates on economic conditions in various sectors of agriculture.
 
Snapshots are available for the Northeast’s dairy, fruit, vegetable, nursery and greenhouse, cash field, timber, aquatic/fishing, and livestock industries, as well as an update and outlook on input costs for the region’s producers. 

These snapshots will be updated on a quarterly basis and also contain links to other resources and recent articles relating to each industry.
 
The most recent update reports that overall, U.S. agriculture, as well as that of the Northeast, continues to face some challenging market conditions, but there are also a number of bright spots and some improvements are in the forecast. 

Cash field crops in particular are dealing with adverse pricing and while dairy prices are improving, there continue to be marketing challenges in some areas. Nursery and greenhouse, which have had improving economic conditions for the past few years, are reporting relatively good spring results.
 
To dive deeper into industry-specific snapshots, visit FarmCreditEast.com.

Hoard's Dairyman on 'Milk Comes From Mammals'

Go to http://hoards.com/article-21218-milk-comes-from-mammals.html to see the short story.

European Union Bans Word 'Milk' for Plant-Based Products

An interesting read.

Will the U.S. follow suit?

Go to https://www.fginsight.com/news/word-milk-banned-for-use-in-branding-of-plant-based-products-22024 to see the story.

August Milk Production Up in NY

Milk production in New York during August 2016 totaled 1.24 billion pounds, up 3.2 percent from August 2015.
 
The average milk price received by New York farmers in July 2016, at $16.80 per hundredweight, is up $1 from June 2016, but down 60 cents from July a year ago.
 
Statistics show there were 619,000 milk cows in the state in 2015 and 620,000 in 2016. Production per cow was 1,945 pounds in 2015 and was up to 2,005 pounds per cow in 2016.

USDA Buying Up 11 M Pounds of Cheese

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced plans Aug. 23 to buy about 11 million pounds of cheese from private inventories to assist food banks and pantries across the nation, while reducing a cheese surplus that is at its highest level in 30 years. 

The purchase, valued at $20 million, will be provided to families in need across the country through USDA nutrition assistance programs, while assisting the stalled marketplace for dairy producers whose revenues have dropped 35 percent over the past two years.

New York State Fair Dairy Product Competitions Winners Announced

Since it's Dairy Day, it would be the perfect time to release the names of Dairy Product competition winners.

Go to http://nysfair.ny.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2016-Dairy-Products-results-1.pdf to see a list of all 22 competitions and the winners.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the winners of the 2016 Dairy Products Competition in celebration of the 40^th annual Dairy Day at The Great New York State Fair. 

Twenty-six manufacturers were awarded this year, including Yancey’s Fancy cheese company of Western New York, which earned the Grand Champion award after scoring 99 out of 100 possible points for its Chastinet Sharp and Snappy Asiago-Style Cheese. 

The state’s top-scoring milk belongs to Battenkill Valley Creamery of Salem, the only entry in the competition to earn a perfect score of 100.

The 40^th Annual Dairy Day awarded 26 processors and manufacturers from across the state either gold or silver honors. Four others earned Awards of Excellence.

Other highlights from the competition include:

Upstate Niagara Cooperative earned seven medals, earning the most medals overall. It won gold in the sour cream, buttermilk, and dairy dips categories.

In the cheese categories, McCadam Cheese Co. took five out of six medals for its current, aged, and super-aged cheddar cheeses

HP Hood’s three plants took five out of six medals in three cottage cheese categories.

Argyle Cheese Co. won gold in the flavored yogurt category with its Chocolate Greek Yogurt. 

Entries were submitted for 22 categories, including fluid milk, sour cream, and cottage cheese. The entries are evaluated by eleven expert judges. This year, the chief judge was Charles Lindberg from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Division of Milk Control.

Happy Dairy Month!!

Happy Dairy Month, everyone.

To celebrate, let's have dairy EVERY day. It not only will help our happiness (doesn't milk, cheese and ice cream make you happy??) but it also will help shore up the milk prices a bit. Farmers throughout New York are hurting with low milk prices brought on by too much production in the world.

I'll do my part to eat more dairy. How about you??

'Dairying for Tomorrow' Award Launched

FRom the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council:

To recognize local dairy farmers and showcase the unique on-farm practices to help sustain the dairy industry well into the future, the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council is launching the "Dairying for Tomorrow Award".
"The award is set-up to highlight local dairy farm families who display a passion for dairying and have a unique practice that will help lead their dairy into the future," said Beth Meyer, vice president of industry relations for association. 

"We want to share with consumers the many things dairy farmers do to care for their animals, their natural resources and the communities in which they live," Meyer added. 

The award is broken into three categories: animal care, community/consumer outreach, and environmental stewardship.
The award will recognize one winner in each of the three categories within these five different regions: Central New York, Western New York, Eastern New York, Northern New York, and Northeastern Pennsylvania/Northern New Jersey. 

Three overall winners in each category will be selected and awarded at the New York State Fair Dairy Day breakfast. They will receive a cash prize, along with the production of a farm video and photo shoot that highlights the farm. 

Award applications are being accepted through May 31st.

The application is simple and easily accessed online. All dairy farmers are encouraged to take just a few minutes to share all the great things they are doing on their farms. 

 

To apply, visit the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council at adadc.com http://www.adadc.com  

 

For more information, contact Emma Andrew at 315-472-9143 or eandrew@adadc.com

Happy National Cheese Lovers Day

Today is National Cheese Lovers Day!

For me, I can't see how anyone can not love cheese. I feel badly for all those who can't eat it because of some health issue. I think I would die without cheese.

Dairy Vs. Soy or Almond Milk? You Decide

Here's something to think about during Dairy Month!!

http://dairydiscoveryzone.com/blog/think-your-drink-real-milk-vs-almond-soy-and-more

Learn About Robotic Milkers June 14

Anyone who wants to learn more about robotic milking systems should attend an upcoming program.

The Lyme Heritage Center will sponsor a program on modern dairy farming with robot milkers with presenters Paul and Elaine Mason of Mason Farms in Cape Vincent from 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday, June 14 from 2 to 4 at the old Grange Hall in Three Mile Bay.  

There is no charge. For information, call Phyllis at 778-5180.

Massive Snowstorm Hampers Milk Collections

Yes, that killer storm out in Western New York is affecting farmers.

Read the story http://www.agweb.com/article/new-york-storm-hampers-milk-collections--catherine-merlo/ at this link.

Dairy Carousel Continues Today and Tomorrow at State Fairgrounds

            Today and tomorrow are the last days to get out to the Spring Carousel at the state Fairgrounds.

Members of the dairy industry from all over the Northeast will be at the event, operated by the New York Holstein Association. It is said to be the largest spring show in North America.  In past years, exhibitors from as many as 15 states and Canada were on hand.  As many as 1,000 animals in all seven dairy breeds are expected.

           The event features judging and sales of various breeds of dairy cows, as well as activities for juniors.  Admission to the event is free.  It takes place Friday through Monday in the Toyota Coliseum and in the Exhibit Center.  More information is available at http://www.nyholsteins.com/.

Dietary Guidelines Changing Again??

Great Story from DairyBusiness.

Go to http://magazines.dairybusiness.com/dbw-1-22-14/files/7.html this link to check it out.

State Will Buy More Local Food Thanks to Bill

From state Sen. Patricia Ritchie:

A bill that seeks to use the tremendous buying power of  state government to boost purchases of locally grown foods for use in state prisons, hospitals and other agencies has been signed into law by the governor. 

Under Senate Bill 4061, officials will be directed to create a list of competitively priced food products available for institutional sale, giving state agencies easy access to farm fresh products. State officials will also be required to regularly update their local food purchasing lists and measure state agencies’ compliance with directives to expand purchases from local food sources.

“Eating local is a big trend right now—and it can mean big business for local farmers and food producers.   This legislation builds upon that movement, seeking to use the purchasing power of state government to help farmers grow,” said state Sen. Patricia Ritchie, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee and a sponsor of the bill. 

“Not only will this measure promote nutrition by putting more locally grown foods in our prisons, hospitals and other state facilities, it will also boost the bottom lines of our state’s hardworking farmers.”

Also known as the “Food Metrics Bill” the measure is widely supported by a broad array of groups, from farmers to environmentalists.

The legislation was named a top priority by America’s Farmland Trust, a nationwide organization that promotes eating more local foods as a way to help preserve farmland, farm industry and open space. In addition, the New York League of Conservation Voters recognized Senator Ritchie for her sponsorship of the legislation.

Ritchie also is a sponsor of the “Buy from the Backyard Act” (S.978), which aims to boost local farming by requiring state agencies to purchase 20 percent of their food supplies from New York-based sources.  In addition, she worked to put New York milk back in employee lunchrooms at the Capitol, which serve tens of thousands of state workers and visitors every day. 

80-Year-Old Byrne Dairy in Syracuse Markets Across U.S.

Go to http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/ultra-pasteurization_entry_into_cheese_and_yogurt_market_driving_growth_at_syrac.html to check out the story.

Start the Day with Dairy

Remember, mom always said breakfast was important.

Check out http://www.thedairyreport.com/start-the-day-with-dairy-understanding-the-benefits-of-breakfast-in-the-classroom/ this story.

Possible Names for New Dairy Seal Discussed on Dairy Line

Check out http://dairyline.com/thursday.mp3 today's Dairy Line from Dairybusiness Communications.

National Farmers' Market Week Begins Sunday

National Farmers' Market Week runs from Aug. 4-10.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is kicking off the week with an announcement Saturday at a Washington D.C. market of how many markets are registered in the 2013 National Farmers' Market Directory.

Go to http://search.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/Accessible.aspx to search the Farmers Market Directory. Once at this site, you can plug in where you live by zip code and how many miles you are willing to travel. Hit search and a great list of farmers' markets will pop up, telling you what is sold there, where they are located and hours of operation and if they take WIC, SNAP or credit cards.

The full Farmers Market Directory, which can be found  farmersmarkets.usda.gov at this link, also identifies new farmers' markets, the states with the highest number of markets in operation and the total number of farmers' markets that have registered throughout the United States.

The number of farmers' markets in the United States and New York state is increasing. The USDA stated there were 6,132 farmers markets in the country in 2010, 7,175 in 2011 and 7,864 in 2012.

In New York, there were 575 farmers' markets in 2012, 520 farmers’ markets in 2011 and 500 in 2000. Diane Eggert, executive director of the Farmers' Market Federation of New York based in Fayetteville, said the 2013 count is more than 600. 

And just think, in 2000 there were a mere 235 farmers’ markets in the state.

The new updated National Farmers Market Directory lists 8,144 farmers markets, up from about 5,000 in 2008. 

Farmers' market managers voluntarily supply their market information to the USDA directory providing a snap shot of the number of markets that have registered with the directory.

Farmers' markets are important not only to the farmers selling their goods, but they also are key to consumers. The whole locavore or buy local movement — people who want to buy food grown locally — has pushed the number of farmers’ markets and those buying at farmers’ markets into the stratosphere.