Dean Foods Files for Bankrupty Protection

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

Butter Sculpture Unveiled at 2018 New York State Fair

The front and back of the 2018 butter sculpture at the NYS Fair

This year’s butter sculpture at the New York State Fair is a step back in time.
 
For the 50th anniversary of the famous fair attraction, sculptors Jim Victor and Marie Pelton of Pennsylvania have unveiled “Your Milk Comes From a Good Place,” paying tribute to the state’s hard-working dairy farmers.
 
The sculpture features a farmer transporting milk director from his dairy farm to a consumer in the grocery aisle, showing that milk makes it from the farm to the kitchen table in just 48 hours.
 

Marsha Anderson Leonard

But the farm depicted in the sculpture is called Over the Moon Dairy Farm, a tribute to the first butter sculpture unveiled at the fair in 1969. That sculpture was called “Cow Jumping Over the Moon.”
 
Another shout out to 50 years ago was former State Dairy Princess Marsha Anderson Leonard, of Chautauqua County. She was dairy princess 50 years ago and was at the fairgrounds to unveil the very first butter sculpture in 1969.
 
“I was newly crowned and then they told me the next day I had to unveil the butter sculpture,” said Leonard, a retired nurse whose brother still runs the family dairy farm in Kennedy, Chautauqua County. “And I’m thrilled to be around to be here today.”
 
The butter sculpture, in the Dairy Products Building, consists of 800 pounds of butter. After the fair is over on Labor Day, the sculpture will be taken apart by Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners and transported to Noblehurst Farms in Linwood, Livingston County, where it will be recycled in a methane digester to create electricity and liquid fertilizer for crops.
 
The American Dairy Association North East is in charge of the butter sculpture each year. The sculpture is sponsored this year by Wegman supermarkets.
 
The New York State Fair runs from Wednesday, Aug. 22 through Labor Day.

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

Hailey Pipher of Chemung County Named New York State Dairy Princess for 2018-19

From left, first alternate Alexis Payne of Lewis County, State Dairy Princess Hailey Pipher of Chemung County and second alternate Zoie Skinner of Onondaga County.

Hailey Pipher of Chemung County was chosen as the new New York State Dairy Princess after two days of competition at the Holiday Inn, Salina.

Chosen first alternate was Alexis Payne from Lewis County and second alternate is Zoie Skinner from Onondaga County.

As state princess, Pipher receives a $1,200 scholarship and will represent the American Dairy Association North East at county dairy princess pageants, farm meetings and a variety of special events, which includes training new county princesses at a summer seminar.

Payne and Skinner receive a $700 scholarship and $600 scholarship, respectively. Both will assist the State Dairy Princess with training, appearances and other duties.


The New York State Dairy Princess contest concluded Tuesday with the crowning after a two days of judging at the Holiday Inn in Salina, north of Syracuse. 

A total of 16 girls who had already won their county dairy princess contests participated in the state pageant. They had to take tests to judge their dairy knowledge and writing skills, go through intensive interviews with the three judges, give both impromptu and prepared speeches and also were judged on their informal interaction with others.

Judges evaluate contestants on communication skills, knowledge of the dairy industry, poise and personality. 

Pipher will serve as New York State Dairy Princess for one year and will promote dairy farmers and dairy products throughout the state in schools, industries, companies and at special events.

The big event for the dairy princess each year is the New York State Fair in Geddes, west of Syracuse. She and other county dairy princesses man the dairy princess booth inside the Dairy Products building and make special appearances throughout Dairy Day at the fair.

The new princess takes over for Sarah Rohe of Onondaga County, who was New York State Dairy Princess for 2017-18.

Pageant judges were: Judi Dixon, International Sales, Dot Foods; Davis Chlus, Morgan Stanley, Senior Vice President; and Holly Pullis, Hollywood Enterprises & Roedale Farm.
 
Other award winners were (in no particular order):

Written communications -- Connie Frasier, Herkimer County; Hailey Pipher, Chemung County; Natalie Vernon, Wayne County.

Speech winners -- Alexis Payne, Lewis County; Hailey Pipher, Chemung County; and Natalie Vernon, Wayne County.

Product knowledge winners -- Kathryn Bosley, Franklin County; Hailey Pipher, Chemung County; Zoie Skinner, Onondaga County.

Miss Congeniality -- Megan Wilmot, Otsego County

Finalists for state dairy princess -- Sonya Helms, Cortland County; Elizabeth Maslyn, Ontario County; Alexis Payne, Lewis County; Hailey Pipher, Chemung County; Zoie Skinner, Onondaga County; Natalie Vernon, Wayne County; and Abigail Wratten, Oneida County.

American Dairy Association North East is the local affiliate of the National Dairy Council® and the regional consolidation of three promotion organizations including the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council, Inc., Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program. 

Committed to nutrition education and research-based communications, the association provides science-based nutrition information to, and in collaboration with, a variety of stakeholders committed to fostering a healthier nation, including health professionals, educators, school nutrition directors, academia, industry, consumers and media. 

    

Happy National Milk Day!!

It's 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.  

Alexander Campbell of the New York Dairy Co. professed to the New York State Senate that his company was the first to make these deliveries in 1878. 

Here is some milk trivia that you can share with your family and friends:
** Milk is a good source of calcium and many vitamins

Thatcher

** The first milk bottle was developed by a pharmacist from Potsdam, NY, Hervey 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

**  The International Association of Milk Inspectors submitted a request to Congress in October of 1915 for a resolution naming an observance of National Milk Day.

So celebrate National Milk Day by having a big glass of milk or some other dairy product!!

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

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.

Congress Members Ask USDA to Make Milk an Agricultural Commodity

A number of congressmen and women have written to the U.S. Department of Agriculture with a plan that could help farmers when milk prices go down.

Go to http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news03/letter-urges-usda-to-make-milk-agricultural-commodity-20170729 to check out the story.

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.

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.

Byrne Dairy Brings Ag Education to the Zoo

Pictured unveiling the new Byrnsie display are, left to right, Friends of the Zoo President Janet Agostini with Byrne Dairy executives CEO Fred Sadeghi , CFO Paul Hatty, Sales and Marketing Director Kate Byrne, CTO Nick Marsella, General Counsel Jim Gosier , Zoo Director Ted Fox, and Byrne Dairy Attorney Ryan Elliott.

Byrne Dairy has partnered with the Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo to sponsor “The Real Milking Cow” exhibit. 

The specially built Holstein cow is designed to educate zoo-goers on the art of milking a cow. Byrne Dairy has decided to name the exhibit “Byrnsie” after the beloved cow that is prominently featured on many of the company’s products.

Byrnsie recently was installed in front of the zoo’s Contact Barn where she has become a major attraction among zoo visitors who enjoy petting and milking her. 

Byrnsie comes equipped with an internal pump system, which ensures a constant flow of water to her udder so zoo-goers can learn how to extract milk from a cow using nothing but their hands.

Kids try out 'milking' Byrnsie

“Byrnsie represents a sizeable sponsorship on the part of Byrne Dairy, and she is a wonderful addition to our Contact Barn, where zoo visitors learn about farm animals up close,” said Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo President Janet Agostini. “The folks at Byrne Dairy responded immediately when we asked them to partner with us on this new exhibit.”

“Many of the children who come to the zoo have never even seen a cow, much less experienced milking one,” said Zoo Director Ted Fox. “This is a great educational tool that teaches kids where their milk comes from in an interactive way. We are grateful to Byrne Dairy for partnering with us and sponsoring Byrnsie.”

Byrnsie is part of a five-year partnership between the Friends of the Zoo and Byrne Dairy, which will include a series of educational events hosted by Byrne Dairy at the exhibit. 

The first event will celebrate National Dairy Month on Saturday, June 24. 

Byrne Dairy representatives will be on hand to offer free samples of ice cream and quiz the public on dairy trivia from noon to 2 p.m. Future “Dairy Day” events will celebrate other significant yet often overlooked dairy holidays.

Byrne Dairy CEO Fred Sadeghi said the company views Byrnsie as well as the Dairy Day events as a fun way to educate the public about the importance of dairy farming and food manufacturing in modern society.

“We want to offer zoo-goers an educational perspective about life on the farm, current dairy farming practices, and how the milk that comes from a cow eventually makes its way into a lot of delicious and nutritious dairy products,” Sadeghi said.

“Fewer Americans than ever are engaged in farming and agriculture, yet many remain interested in where their food comes from,” he added. “Byrne Dairy views this exhibit as a fantastic opportunity to connect the dots for many zoo-goers and provide them with a deeper appreciation of the purpose and role of dairy cows in the U.S.”

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!!

Bridging the Gap Between Farmers and Consumers

Ziehm

Jessica Ziehm of the NY Animal Agriculture Coalition and the creator of the Dairy Cow Birthing Center at the New York State Fair is highlighted in this story about her family's dairy operation.

Check out this story at http://www.agweb.com/article/real-faces-of-dairy-bridging-the-gap-between-farmers-and-consumers-naa-betsy-jibben/ this link.

New York Farm Bureau Reacts To Canadian-US Dairy Trade Issue

Statement from New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher on the dairy policy issued by Canada that is affecting New York farmers:

"New York Farm Bureau appreciates the strong, bipartisan response to Canada’s unfair dairy policy that threatens to suppress an already low dairy economy in this country. President Trump’s vocal support is a result of Governor Cuomo’s work with Wisconsin’s Governor to ask Canada to reverse course. 

"Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand also requested assistance from the White House. It is positive to see our leaders working together to address this serious trade matter.


"New York Farm Bureau has been engaged on this issue for more than a year working with the state's dairy processors and lawmakers. We are asking our leaders to continue to push Canada to stick to its commitments under current trade agreements. 

"While some processors and milk cooperatives are already losing millions of dollars in business, this has the potential of hurting dairy farms across the state. The ultra-filtered milk once destined for Canada must now find a home in other markets. The increased milk supply will potentially drive down already low milk prices. 

"American farmers benefit from fair trade policies and we need to keep the borders open to our products, in particular with Canada, which is one of New York’s main trading partners," said David Fisher, New York Farm Bureau President.

Canada's Trudeau Has An Answer for Trump's Dairy Trade Question

Go to https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-20/canada-s-not-the-challenge-for-u-s-dairy-trudeau-says to see the story.

Canada's Ban on Ultra-Filtered Milk Hurts Aurelius Company

Go to http://auburnpub.com/blogs/eye_on_ny/ceo-cayuga-milk-ingredients-lost-m-in-sales-overnight-due/article_f85b4c52-2563-11e7-907c-0724c5c124aa.html to see the story.

Winter Storm Stella Wreaks Havoc on Many Farms

From Empire Farm & Dairy magazine

By DEBRA J. GROOM
dgroom@wdt.net
 

Milk dumping photo courtesy DiNitto Farms

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.

Register Today for Cow Comfort Conference March 20-21 in Syracuse

                                                                                                                                 

The Cow Comfort Conference is at the Holiday Inn in Salina, north of Syracuse, March 20-21.

Registration for the conference ends today March 17. To register, please visit: https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/cowcomfortconference2017_10512

Titled “Working with What you Have and Looking Towards the Future,” the conference is a collaboration between the Cornell North Country Regional Ag Team, the South Central Dairy and Livestock Team, PRO-DAIRY and the Miner Institute.

For the agenda see the attached flyer or visit the website: http://nnyrap.cce.cornell.edu/event.php?id=421