New Farm Store Opening in Onondaga County

Dan Palladino of Palladino Farms in Pompey is opening a new farm store at 2 p.m. Friday Jan. 13 (today).

Palladino said "we will have product samples and tastings by Trinity Valley Dairy, Clean Slate balsamic vinegars and honey, breads by Alambria Springs farm and maple products from Dutch Hill maple."

Palladino said the primary reason for starting the store is he believes there is a "huge unmet need for a place selling local foods in our town and area. In addition, the town of Pompey passed a very farm friendly law in 2015 called the "farm business overlay", which allows qualified farmers to have commercial enterprises on their farm if they meet certain criteria."

One of the main criteria is a certain percentage of foods sold must be actually grown in Pompey.

"Our goal is to bring the connection between consumer and farmer even closer," Palladino said. "The store will give other small farms that only produce one or a few items an outlet to sell their products where they otherwise could not afford to."

Palladino also believes food should be affordable and some stores and retail sites sell healthy local foods at higher prices.

"While this is unavoidable with some premium and organic products, I plan to price as competitively as possible so that all people can enjoy shopping for local products at our farm store and not have to go to a large retailer or buy from unknown sources," he said.
 
Palladino said his goal is to carry as many made in Onondaga County products as possible, as well as some regionally produced products (from other counties and a few items from Pennsylvania) until he can find a local source of those products.

World Honeybee Day Was Aug. 20

So sorry I missed World Honeybee Day (Aug. 20).

Honey producers are oh, so important to New York state. The Empire State Honey Producers was originally founded in 1870 and today it has various regions of beekeepers such as Northeastern, Southern, West and Long Island.

Most members of the Empire State Honey Producers Association have fewer than 50 hives.

Taste NY Market Moves to Horticulture Building for New York State Fair

The all-new Taste NY Market at The Great New York State Fair was announced Aug. 4 by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The market is part of the governor’s $50 million plan to transform the fairgrounds and improve the experience for visitors. 

Now located inside the landmark Horticulture Building, guests of the Taste NY Market will have the opportunity to enjoy everything New York, from artisan cheeses and gourmet nuts, to local wines, craft beers, spirits and more.
Visitors to the Taste NY Market will have the chance to try free samples of food and beverages from all 76 participating New York vendors and to meet the people behind those products. If you like what you try, you’ll also have the opportunity to buy it on-site directly from the vendor. 

For the first time this year, the operators of the Taste NY store at the Broome Gateway Travel and Tourism Center will also showcase and sell an array of products from their store, including: Bjorn Popcorn, Mini Honey Bears, Emmy’s Macaroons, Field Trip Beef Jerky, Saratoga Crackers and many others.
The vendors featured at the Taste NY Market will rotate daily, during all twelve days of the Fair. A complete list of participating vendors and a schedule of the vendor rotation can be found http://nysfair.ny.gov/food-drink/taste-ny/ at this link.

Is Certified Organic Honey Really Organic?

Here's an interesting story that came out of a question by a local farmer who wanted to know how honey could be certified organic when the bees fly EVERYWHERE?

Check out this story at http://livingmaxwell.com/organic-honey-certified

New York Ag Receipts Outpace National Averages

From New York state:

The growth of agricultural sales in New York outpaced the national average, with cash receipts up 36 percent across the state and only 32 percent nationally. 

In 2014, farmers in New York state also set a new record for sales with $6.36 billion in cash receipts, up from $4.7 billion in 2010, representing a nearly $1.7 billion increase in gross income from sales of crops, livestock and other products.

New York has seen a surge in average gross income and a significant increase in sales of many of the state’s top commodities. Since 2010, the following commodities have shown the greatest increases:

   

· Poultry and eggs up 63 percent to $206 million; · Peaches up 80 percent to $12.6 million; · Honey production up 59 percent to just under $9 million; · Cattle production up 132 percent to $415 million; and · Hay up 173 percent to $147 million.

The national estimates for the same commodities for the same period are:

· Poultry and eggs up 39 percent; · Peaches up 2 percent; · Honey production up 38 percent; · Cattle production up 59 percent; and · Hay up 63 percent.

The New York dairy industry also saw record high dairy prices in 2014, constituting about half of the state’s agricultural receipts.

New York State Fair Opens Next Week

If there’s anything that says late summer, it’s the Great New York State Fair.

Twelve days of animals, rides, music, fun, education and of course, food, at the Aug. 27 to Sept. 7 event in Geddes, just outside of Syracuse.

2014 State Fair butter sculpture

Probably the least exciting of those is education, but learning is a big part of the fair, according to Acting Director Troy Waffner.

Fair-goers often ask questions of farmers and other producers who show animals or items they grow at the New York State Fair — the first such event ever held in the United States, in 1841.

“It’s our mission to promote everything agriculture in terms of education,” Waffner said. “When I was a fair-goer, I didn’t come here to be educated, but if you tricked me into it, I could find out the most interesting things in the world.”

This year’s fair will offer several new agricultural exhibits for fair-goers and even farmers and producers to check out:

** Equine Avenue exhibit: an interactive demonstration that allows patrons to interact directly with horses, their owners, vets and nutritionists. In a tent outside the Toyota Coliseum.

** Canning demos in the demonstration kitchen. On Aug. 27 and 28, this will feature demonstrations on the best way to can homegrown or locally grown food.

** Sweet potatoes offered in the potato booth for $1. That's in the Horticulture Building.

2014 State Fair Dairy Day Celebrity Milkshake Contest

** A youth horse show in the coliseum on Labor Day.

** New stalls and renovation in the DVM Barn. Dave Bullard, assistant public information officer for the fair, said these improvements will make working in the barn much easier and more pleasant for exhibitors.

** Vegan delight. The first all-vegan/vegeterian food vendor will be in the International Building. Syracuse’s Strong Hearts Café will serve 100 percent vegan fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner and will offer its menu of more than 40 popular milkshakes from its restaurant on East Genesee Street in Syracuse and its satellite location on the Syracuse University hill.

** Gladiola competition. Anyone at the fair at 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 3 can join the new gladiola competition in the Horticulture Building. Fairgoers can try to make a gladiola bouquet arrangement in 10 minutes and then the audience will vote on their favorites.
 
**  War Dog Memorial. The unveiling of the new memorial honoring canines who have served in the military will be at 11 a.m. Sept. 3. The event will include a wreath laying by members of the military, assisted by Gold Star mothers, as well as brief memorial speeches from dignitaries. The memorial is at the Veterans Memorial in front of the

2014 State Fair maple winners

Horticulture Building.
 
** There will be no poultry exhibits due to concerns about the Avian bird flu. The flu has not been found in New York state, and state Agriculture and Markets officials want to keep it that way, so they canceled all poultry exhibits and competitions at county fairs and the state fair this year. 

** The piglets and sows will be back this year in the Swine Building. They were absent last year because of a problem nationally with Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea.
 

The most exciting of these new exhibits is the Equine Avenue. Waffner said there were comments in the past from fair-goers who were dismayed at not being able to get closer to all the horses for the International Horse Show.

Sheep at the 2014 State Fair

“They couldn’t get that close to them in the horse barns to see their beauty,” Waffner said. “With the horses outside on Equine Avenue, people will be able to pet them, take photos with them, paint them, and people who want to study equine science can check out all the breeds up close. Horses have a special allure, heritage and history.”

Another big change at the fair this year: the poultry building won’t contain any poultry.

The state fair and all county fairs in New York state canceled all bird shows and exhibits this year because of concerns about the Avian flu. 

None of the flu strain has been found in New York state, but the state Department of Agriculture and Markets wants to ensure that poultry in the state remain flu-free.

This also means the popular daily rooster crowing contest will not be held. The poultry building instead will house rabbits and cavies. The state fair is replacing the rooster contest with a rabbit-hopping demonstration on seven days.

There will be a special demonstration on Sept. 1 of combing and cutting fur from angora rabbits and spinning the fur into yarn to make hats and mittens.


The New York State Fair has operated since Sept. 29 and 30, 1841, except for 1942 through 1947, when the fairgrounds were used as a military base during World War II.

With state money given for the promotion of county fairs in 1841, the New York State Agricultural Society created the state fair, and more than 10,000 people attended that first year.

The fair moved around after that — to Albany, then to Rochester and other New York cities. But in 1890, Syracuse was chosen as the permanent site of the event.

This story originally ran in Empire Farm & Dairy magazine. If you're interested in more stories like this, subscribe to the magazine by sending $50 for a one-year subscription or $75 for two years to Empire Farm & Dairy, 260 Washington St., Watertown, NY  13601 
 

Number of Honeybee Colonies Hit a 20-Year High

Hey, here's some good ag news.

Go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/07/23/call-off-the-bee-pocalypse-u-s-honeybee-colonies-hit-a-20-year-high/ to check it out.

New York Post Slams Money for Agriculture in State Budget

http://nypost.com/2015/04/03/new-ny-budget-allocates-cash-for-beer-onions-and-pit-bulls/ 
 
This story just shows the disconnect between Downstate (or more appropriately, New York City) and Upstate.

Where do the knuckleheads at the NY Post think onions, wine, beer, Christmas trees and honey come from? Are they like the little boys who were fighting in the cafeteria in their elementary school where my mom worked years ago -- one yelling at the other because Boy #1 said milk came from cows? Boy #2 said that can't be because his mom buys it at the store.

Perhaps we should propose that everyone in New York City go without onions, beer, wine, maple syrup, honey, etc. for an entire week. What would life be like? 

Sure, you might be able to get these items elsewhere, but do you really want old onions or vegetables or Christmas trees grown in another state, harvested God knows when and then shipped here???

That's what is great about New York -- we can get onions, beer, wine, honey, maple syrup, vegetables, Christmas trees, etc. grown and produced right here. In good ol' New York soil. Right down the road. By your neighbor, perhaps.

They are fresh. They were harvested a couple of hours ago. 

The money you spend on them stays here in New York -- most often it stays right here in your hometown. Some counties depend on the production of various crops as a major part of their economies, such as apples in Wayne County, onions in Oswego County or milk in Wyoming County.

And it's proper for a little money here and there from New York taxpayers to help producers make better syrup, or bigger more tasty onions, or pest-free vegetables, or perfectly shaped Christmas trees. 

C'mon New York Post. Think a little. And remember -- no onions on your burgers for a week

Watch the Bees Do Their Thing

Want to see what the honeybees are up to?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has launched BeeWatch. Now anyone, anywhere who wantss to learn about honey bee activity can simply go to the blog: http://blogs.usda.gov/2014/05/15/see-honeybees-at-work-usda-launches-beewatch/

What Body Part Hurts the Most When Stung by a Bee?

Now here's a different take on the honeybee story.

Read it at http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/worst-places-to-get-stung-by-a-be-self-experimentation/ this link.

New York State Fair 'One Thing' Series -- Today's Feature, Honey

Some of the different honey flavors at the New York State Fair.

When you venture inside the Horticulture Building at the New York State Fair, there are two sweet booths you just have to visit.

I already talked about one of them -- the Maple Producers Booth -- earlier in the week.

The other is right across from the maple folks. The Empire State Honey Producers have a wonderful booth filled with many different flavors of honey that visitors can sample and then buy.

Honey, of course, is that sweet nectar made by bees. Beekeepers across New York state tend to their hives religiously to keep the bees happy, working and making honey.

A hive of bees hard at work at the New York State Fair

 I went to the honey display and found Matt Mallory, who is a beekeeper in Syracuse. I asked him what "one thing" he would like to tell the public about honey:

"It's a natural sweetener, it's great tasting, and there are no preservatives or additives in it," he said. He also said the different flavors come from the different pollen the bees pick up during their travels.

Honey production in New York state from beekeepers with five or more hives was 2.65 million pounds in 2012. The number of bee colonies was 52,000, up from 49,000 the year before.

Beekeepers in New York on average got 51 pounds of honey per colony. The value of all the honey produced in the state in 2012 was $6.05 million.

Empire State Farming Blog to Highlight New York State Fair with 'One Thing' Series

Well, the New York State Fair's 2013 edition is almost here.

And in the spirit of the fair, Empire State Farming will be celebrating with a series that will run each day of the fair and some special stories along the way.

Later today, look for a photo and news about this year's Butter Sculpture. Also there will be a story about a new exhibit this year in which fair visitors can see the live birth of a dairy calf.

Then on each day of the fair, I will post an item I am calling "One Thing." Stay tuned to find out what it's all about.

Have fun at the fair. And remember, while riding the rides and eating all that food, stop in to the animal barns and talk to the farmers and check out the beekeepers and maple producers in the Horticulture Building.

These people are what the fair is really all about. 

USDA Takes to Twitter to Talk Honeybees

The USDA took to Twitter to talk about the recent Time Magazine cover story on honeybees.

Check out what USDA officials said at http://blogs.usda.gov/2013/08/19/usda-talks-honeybees-on-twitter/ this blog link.

Here is a link http://science.time.com/2013/08/09/the-trouble-with-beekeeping-in-the-anthropocene/ to a brief introduction to the Time Magazine story by the author. You have to subscribe to Time on line to read the entire article or go to a newsstand or store and buy a copy.

Time Magazine Cover Story This Week on Disappearance of Honeybees

I can't give you the whole story or even a link to the Time Magazine cover story this week on bees because you have to be a subscriber.

But I've read it and it's good -- should be read by anyone who raises food or who eats. Well, hey, that's pretty much all of us, huh.

So get out there and get a copy. Here is a link http://science.time.com/2013/08/09/the-trouble-with-beekeeping-in-the-anthropocene/ to a brief introduction to the story by the author.

Honeybees Dead in Canada

Go to http://now.msn.com/millions-of-honeybees-found-dead-in-canada to check out the story.

Ag Officials On Watch for Aggressive Bees

This story is frightening.

Read it http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jun/17/agriculture-officials-on-watch-for-aggressive/ here.

Federal Government Releases Report on Honeybee Health

More news on the honeybee front.

Go to http://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDAOC-795a36 to see the report.

Report States EPA OKed Pesticide Responsible for Killing Bees

OK, folks. What do you think of this?

Go to http://www.collective-evolution.com/2012/04/09/epa-approved-gmo-insecticide-responsible-for-killing-off-bees-puts-entire-food-chain-at-risk/ to read a story from Collective Evolution.

Cheese, Milk, Honey Production Up in 2012 in New York

Here are some production stats on various commodities in New York state:

Cheese: Total cheese production in New York, excluding cottage cheese, totaled 754 million pounds in 2012, said Blair Smith, state statistician of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York Field Office.

This is a 3.5 percent increase from the previous year. Italian
cheese, which accounted for 48 percent of New York’s total cheese output, was at 365 million pounds, down 0.5 percent. Total cottage cheese production at 315 million pounds was up 0.9 percent from 2011. 

New York leads the nation in cottage cheese production.

Milk: Total milk production in New York during 2012 was up 3 percent from 2011 with a total of 13.2 billion pounds produced, Smith said.

The annual average number of milk cows, at 610,000 head, was
unchanged. Annual output per cow averaged 21,633 pounds, up 3 percent from 2011.

Cash receipts from the sale of New York milk during 2012 totaled $2.6 billion, down 7 percent from 2011. The $19.40 per hundredweight received for all milk sold by New York farmers was down $2, or 9 percent, from the $21.40 received in 2011.

Marketing totals include whole milk and producer-separated cream sold to plants and dealers as well as milk sold directly to consumers.

An estimated 32 million pounds of milk was used on farms during 2012, unchanged from the previous year. About 93.8 percent of the milk used on farms was fed back to calves. The value of all milk produced, including milk fed back to calves, totaled $2.6 billion, down 7 percent from 2011.

Floriculture: New York floriculture production ranked ninth in the nation for total commercial sales in 2012, Smith said.


The overall value of commercial sales for operations with more than $10,000 in sales decreased slightly to $169 million. Bedding and garden plants continued to be the highest component of the total value of sales at $102 million.

Potted flowering plants were second with a value of sales of
$26.6 million, up 10 percent from previous year. Propagative materials ranked third at $21.1 million, a decrease of 4 percent from 2011.

During 2012, there were 577 growers. The total covered area for the floriculture crop production was 25.2 million square feet, down slightly from the 25.3 million square feet in 2011. The total open
ground area was 607 acres.

Honey: Honey production from beekeepers with five or more hives in New York totaled 2.65 million pounds during 2012.

The 2012 production was extracted from 52,000 colonies, up from the 49,000 colonies in 2011. Honey yield per colony averaged 51 pounds.

Honey stocks on hand across the state as of Dec. 15, 2012 totaled 1.01 million pounds, a decrease of 18 percent from the 1.24
million pounds a year earlier. Prices received by beekeepers in New York averaged $2.28 per pound for all methods of sale during 2012. 

Value of honey production for the state in 2012 totaled $6.05 million, compared with $5.38 million in 2011. 

Red meat: Commercial red meat production in New York slaughter plants totaled 32.7 million pounds in 2012.

This output is down 1 percent from the 33 million pounds produced in 2011. The number of calves slaughtered in the state, at 105,500 head, was down 4 percent from 2011, but total pounds of veal produced were up 5 percent.

Cattle slaughter in the Empire State totaled 30,200 head during 2012, down 12 percent from a year earlier.

Poultry: The value of New York egg production in 2012 was $93.7 million, 13 percent above the 2011 egg production value of $82.7 million, Smith said. 

Egg production in New York during the 2012 year totaled 1.31 billion, up 4 percent from a year earlier. The value of sales from chickens in 2012 was $21,000, down 9 percent from 2011. 

This Week is National Ag Literacy Week

This is National Ag Literacy Week.


This year, the event is celebrating that sweet nectar of the flowers and bees -- honey.

The event runs today through March 22 and focuses on two books on honey production:  "The Beeman," by Laurie Krebs and Valeria Cis and "The Honeybee Man," by Lela Nargi and Kyrsten Brooker.

Go to this link for Ag in the Classroom to learn more about this annual event and how you can volunteer to read to an elementary school class.