Happy Birthday, America!!

Happy Fourth of July.

And since it's also National Ice Cream Month, why not celebrate with a cone??!!

Happy Dairy Month From Dairy State Number 3!!

There we are folks, at number 3.

Happy Dairy Month.

To see where your state falls, check out the USDA statistics at http://bit.ly/2L6n6kj

Dairy Day at State Fair Moves to New Day

If you always go to the New York State Fair on Dairy Day, get out your calendars.

Dairy Day is mooooooving this year.

Dairy Day will be Thursday, Aug. 31 at the 2017 State Fair. It had to be moved because the normal day -- the first Monday of the fair -- is change out day for the dairy cattle in the dairy barn. If Dairy Day had been held on the first Monday Aug. 28, there wouldn't have been any dairy cattle in the dairy barn.

"What is Dairy Day without dairy cattle?" asked Mary Ellen Chesbro, New York State Fair coordinator and agricultural manager.

The 2017 fair willl celebrate the 41st anniversary of Dairy Day wit new events and opportunities for fairgoers, said Acting Fair Director Troy Waffner.

New this year, guests will have an opportunity to win gift baskets filled with New York dairy products by visiting popular dairy attractions and answering trivia questions.

In addition, the fair is partnering with two New York State Certified processors to bring top-notch, local dairy products to the fairgrounds, including a New York State Fair-branded cheese. 

In 2016, more than 82,000 people visited the Fair on Dairy Day. 

 

"Dairy Day is a great opportunity to recognize the hard work of our dairy farmers who make delicious products. We are excited to put the industry on display at the fair and highlight their many contributions to agriculture," Waffner said. "I encourage our guests to stop at the Dairy Products Building, Dairy Cow Birthing Center, and join us at the many special activities on Dairy Day as we celebrate our farmers and processors across the state.”

 

New York yogurt

For the first time, guests can enter a drawing to win Taste NY dairy gift baskets by answering trivia questions when they visit three popular dairy attractions on Dairy Day. To participate, guests can pick up a copy of the questions at any of the fair’s six Guest Relations locations. 

They can find the answers by visiting the Milk Bar, Cheese Booth, and Yo2GO Yogurt Bar. When a guest has completed the questions, they can drop off their answers at the Dairy Cow Birthing Center where they will be entered to win. Three winners will be selected at the conclusion of Dairy Day. 

 

Both the Milk Bar and Cheese Booth will be offering delicious, high-quality dairy products made by two New York State Certified Dairy processors — Byrne Dairy and McCadam Cheese. 

Byrne Dairy, a fourth generation, family-owned dairy processor and distributor, will supply milk for the Milk Bar, one of the fair’s longest-standing traditions. The Milk Bar is being sponsored by Tully’s Good Times and New York’s official beverage will continue to be sold for 25 cents per cup. Last year, 398,059 cups of white and chocolate milk were sold. 

A previous butter sculpture

Fairgoers will also have the opportunity to sample and purchase award-winning McCadam Cheese at the Cheese Booth. McCadam will also be unveiling a NYS Fair-branded cheese. 

For the fourth year, a cheese sculptor will also be carving images out of a block of New York state white cheddar at the Cheese Booth on select days. The sculptures are being sponsored by the New York State Cheese Manufacturers Association. 

 

In addition, the YO2GO Yogurt Bar will mark its fourth anniversary at the fair, making it easy for fairgoers to enjoy New York’s official state snack— fresh New York regular and Greek-style yogurt with a choice of 15 fresh toppings. 

The 49^th Annual Butter Sculpture, created by American Dairy Association North East, will be sponsored by Wegmans Food Markets. The sculpture will be revealed Aug. 22, the day before the fFair opens, and will be on display throughout the fair. 

All of these exhibits are located in the Dairy Products Building and open during all 13 days of the Fair. 

 

Dairy Day will also feature a variety of activities to showcase the State’s dairy industry, beginning with the Recognition Awards & Awards Breakfast at 9 a.m. in the Empire Room, with registration starting at 8:30 a.m. 

As part of the awards ceremony, Dairy of Distinction Awards and the Commissioner’s PRO-DAIRY Service Awards will be presented. In addition, winners of the New York State Fair Dairy Products Competition, which includes entries in the cheese, fluid milk and other dairy products categories, will also be announced. 

The “Big Cheese” Auction will immediately follow and be led by auctioneer and chairman of the New York State Assembly Agriculture Committee Bill Magee. This year, the auction will be held in the Empire Room. Guests can bid on blocks of New York state cheese and enjoy samples that will be handed out by dairy princesses.

 
The festivities continue with a Milkshake Contest at 10:30 a.m. in the Chevy Court Pavilion, where local celebrities will compete to see who makes the best shake. The day will end with the Dairy Day Parade, beginning at 6 p.m. in Chevy Court, which features floats, dairy princesses, tractors and milk trucks.

June is Dairy Month

Happy National Dairy Month!

Please take time to thank all those wonderful New York dairy farmers. Without them, we'd have no milk, ice cream, butter, yogurt and cheese that we enjoy daily.

I don't know about you, but I couldn't live without ice cream!!

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.

It's Dairy Day at the New York State Fair

It's Dairy Day at the New York State Fair.

Be sure to get out there and see all that's great about dairy in NYS. Oh, the butter, ice cream, cheese, yogurt, milk -- well it goes on and on. 

Talk to a dairy farmer in the Dairy Cattle building and then be sure to stop into the Dairy Products building to enjoy some great dairy products or even buy some to take home.

It's National Hot Fudge Sundae Day!!

It's appropriate that during National Ice Cream Month that we'd also celebrate today -- which is National Hot Fudge Sundae day.

For me, there really doesn't have to be a day to celebrate ice cream sundaes because I could eat one every day of the year. Of course, my waistline would show it.

But anyway, let's have a hot fudge sundae today. 

According to the National Day Calendar website, on National Hot Fudge Sundae Day, "we feast on this delicious ice cream dessert that combines hot and cold with a cherry on top. Celebrated July 25, this tasty treat has been served since 1906."

Roadsideamerica.com states the hot fudge sundae was invented in Hollywood as an offshoot of the regular ice cream sundae.

"As a variant of the popular early 20th century ice cream sundae treat, Hollywood claims the birthright for the hot fudge version. The original C. C. Brown's ice cream shop is no longer there, having been converted into one of the many souvenir shops that line this section of the street."

It's National Ice Cream Day!!

The entire month of July is National Ice Cream month -- so enjoy.

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. 

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??

It's Dairy Day at the New York State Fair

Thank a cow and a dairy farmer today.

Here are today's dairy events at the fair:

       o   9 a.m.:  Dairy Day awards breakfast in the Empire Room.

o   10:30 a.m.: Celebrity Milkshake Contest, Chevy Court Pavilion.  Members of the press show off their skill at making a unique milkshake flavor while trying to beat the clock. 

o   11 a.m.: The Big Cheese auction.  Cheese in blocks small, large, and gigantic are auctioned off at the Chevy Court Pavilion.  Free samples available while you bid!

o   6 p.m.:  Dairy Day goes to the State Fair Daily Parade.  Dairy princesses, milk trucks, and lots of streetside giveaways highlight this edition of the parade around Chevy Court.

                o   All day:  Cheese sculptor Sarah Kaufmann will carve cheddar into unique sculptures in the Dairy Products Building.

July 19 is National Ice Cream Day

Sunday, July 19 is National Ice Cream Day.

In the event you are brain dead and can't think of a way to celebrate (have some ice cream!!), here are some ways area ice cream shops are noting the day:

Carvel: Buy one get one free for ice cream cones

Dippin' Dots: Free sample of newest flavor, Redberry Sherbet

Friendly's: Today and Sunday, $1.99 buy one and get one free of a single scoop of ice cream in a dish or a cone

Baskin Robbins: Giving away an ice cream cake. Go to @baskinrobbins on Twitter and be the first person to @reply with the correct answer to the cake trivia.

Stewart's Shops: Has specials on its floats and ice cream sodas.

Ice Cream Trivia for Ice Cream Month

Here's some handy ice cream trivia for you:


June was National Dairy Month, so July must be Ice Cream Month.
 
That’s right, a monthlong celebration of one of dairy’s greatest gifts takes place in July.
 
Many people celebrate the summer by downing cones, sundaes, milkshakes and other creamy, cold delights, but it was President Ronald Reagan in 1984 who officially named July as National Ice Cream Month.
 
And the third Sunday of July is National Ice Cream Day. So be sure to have some on July 19.
Ice cream is big business in New York state, with about 140 manufacturers. Some are large — Perry’s, Byrne — while others are small businesses that make their own ice cream and sell it at their shop.
 
There are no breakdowns for how much money New York companies pump into the economy, but nationally, sales of ice cream and frozen desserts rose 2.1 percent to $5.4 billion in the 52 weeks ending on Aug. 10, 2014, according to Information Resources Inc., Chicago. And ice cream production reached 894 million gallons in 2012 and 897 million in 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
 
To qualify as ice cream, the product has to follow federal law.
 
According to regulations, ice cream must contain at least 10 percent milk fat and at least 20 percent total milk solids. The finished ice cream must weigh a minimum of 4.5 pounds per gallon.
 
There are well-defined labeling requirements for the types of flavors used — natural and/or artificial — and when egg yolks are present in the finished product, it can be called custard or “French” if the content of yolks is at least 1.4 percent.
 
Ice cream also may be labeled as reduced fat (25 percent less than the standard ice cream), light (50 percent less fat than standard), low fat (less than 3 grams of fat per serving), or non fat (less than 0.5 grams per serving).
 
Some other facts about ice cream:
 
** About 9 percent of all milk produced in the United States goes to manufacture ice cream. (Source: International Dairy Foods Association).
 
** Americans’ favorite flavor is vanilla, followed by chocolate, strawberry and chocolate chip. (Source: International Dairy Foods Association).
 
** The average American eats 4.8 gallons of ice cream and frozen treats a year (Source: www.smallbusiness.com).
 
** The largest manufacturer of ice cream and frozen desserts in New York state is Fieldbrook Foods in Dunkirk, Chautauqua County (the company also has a plant in Lakewood, N.J.). Fieldbrook makes more than 120 million dozen frozen novelties and 25 million gallons of ice cream annually; most of its ice cream products are private label. (Source: Northeast Dairy Foods Association and Fieldbrook website).
 
** Other large manufacturers in New York include Perry’s in Akron (Erie County), Byrne Dairy in Syracuse (Onondaga), Stewart’s in Saratoga Springs (Saratoga), and Mercer’s in Boonville (Oneida).
 
** Chocolate syrup is the most popular ice cream topping. (Source: Perry’s website). 
 
** The phrase “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream” actually was the name of a song written by Howard Johnson in the late 1920s. (Source: www.answers.yahoo.com).
 
** There are three versions of the story about who invented the ice cream sundae:
 
— New Yorkers are partial to the story that the sundae was created in Ithaca by Chester Platt, who owned Platt & Colt’s drugstore in 1893. The story goes that Platt prepared a dish of vanilla ice cream for the Rev. John Scott on a Sunday. Platt spiced up the ice cream with cherry syrup and a candied cherry, and Rev. Scott named the dish after the day.
 
— Evanston, Ill. also lays claim to the treat. Its story goes that in Evanston and other Midwestern areas, the selling of soda water was prohibited on Sunday. So they made the sodas without soda, leaving just ice cream and syrup. They called it a sundae.
 
— In Two Rivers, Wis., soda fountain owner Ed Berners had a customer named George Hallauer, who asked for a dish of ice cream topped with the syrup used for sodas. Berner liked the dish and added it to his regular menu for a nickel. But then a competitor, George Giffy, decided to serve the same item at his shop, albeit at a higher price. He decided to serve the ice cream only on Sunday, and soon it became known as the “Ice Cream Sunday.”

Happy National Ice Cream Month!!

Enjoy, everyone. It's National Ice Cream Month!!!

Remember, there are lots of great ice creams made right here in New York state that you can devour this month -- Perry's, Byrne Dairy, Mercer's, Stewart's and others. 

So get out there and have a cone or a dish and celebrate!!

June is Dairy Month -- Thank a Farmer

Let's eat dairy every single day in June to celebrate Dairy Month!!

(Actually, why stop there, let's eat dairy every day)!!

June is Dairy Month

Yippee, it's dairy month!!!

Happy Ice Cream Day

Have a great day, everyone. 

Stewart's coming to Onondaga County

Stewart's Shops, a Saratoga-based company that sells its own milk, ice cream and other dairy products, is coming to Onondaga County.

The company is hiring how for a store to open at the corner of Buckley Road and Morgan Road in Liverpool this fall. 

Stewart's is well known in the North Country and eastern New York. The closest shops to Syracuse are Minetto and Oswego in Oswego County and Camden, Boonville, north of Rome, Clinton, Waterville and Barneveld in Oneida County and Adams in Jefferson County.

Stewart's works closely with 30 local dairy farms for its milk for its products.  

The Importance of Dairy

Even though this is from the Western Dairy Association, it still is a great reminder about the importance of dairy,

Happy Dairy Month!!

Go to http://westerndairyassociation.org/the-20-best-things-about-dairy/ to check it out.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day to these hardworking ladies who provide us with some of the best stuff in the world.

People Salivating at Cornell for the Return of Ice Cream

Check out this  http://cornellcals.tumblr.com/post/73415361679/finally link to find out what is back at Cornell University.