Western NY Farm Commemorates Moon Walk with Corn Maze

Check out this cool drone footage of a corn maze celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon launch and man walking on the moon from a farm in Western New York.

Go to
https://www.facebook.com/JohnKuckoDigital/videos/1630852673713787/ 

Video done by John Kucko Digital. Here is what he wrote on Facebook about the video:

We Have Liftoff!: VERY cool and timely corn maze here in WNY at Wickham Farms in Penfield, NY. They are commemorating the 50th anniversary of Man on the Moon with this terrific work of art in their cornfield. It’ll be open for the public beginning Aug. 17 when the corn will be fully grown. 

Lots of exciting things going on at this farm which you can learn about here by going to its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WickhamFarms/?__tn__=K-R&eid=ARDrXwfuQZo7q8jeQKRsYGJAicb_bCORtTlFrLb08WiyiQ98_kVxACsGKh2FsV-DehV7YIgkgwvUyZu3&fref=mentions&__xts__[0]=68.ARB3vLnpJY_eZoghjj6Uxo5i2kFT-gwf_iIhKTAGdGYJPEb4Npwz2uY9wWKxHu9TOJwbfzTbVGoRS-6r3v9sR88AEgh7meD3NHCI1JJj6QZ9fc_E6KoS-CIn7IGDcLM3iPJIosRfUBljH3tFxqBYnybs8sytZRwZwBUv4VVXvo7teKIPOYNjHB4tB_tzEAk_HSW26CvjXCzIyx0GiTdnjQt7o2kCigRTB9c7g7J2Kh4baJkxTP35L__Utf060nGDRn5_IQeM0e_UVpJoXnEWayAaUXoWZ2eCWpY7xLRdE95FbV47i_EXFH4zlrKc43-I9GcVCFsy7xLdZ_7QQYckUmaNLH3NyMrtJBLFIYS9. 

It was 50 years ago today when Apollo 11 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida — four days later history was made. Thanks to Vertigo Drones for the guidance in flying the Typhoon H Plus.

Dairy Cow Birthing Center, Onondaga Lake Exhibit Honored

From New York State Agriculture and Markets:

The Great New York State Fair earned seven awards in the annual competition operated by the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE), said Acting Commissioner of Agriculture James B. Bays.

 IAFE is the trade group representing more than 1,000 fairs, events, and expositions from around the world. The awards were announced at the event's annual convention in Las Vegas.

"The outstanding efforts of staff, in collaboration with many partners, produced first-class information and entertainment that was rightfully recognized during this national competition," said Acting State Agriculture Commissioner James B. Bays. 

"We are proud of the work that everyone did on these projects and grateful for the recognition. I thank our many partners for their hard work and dedication to providing high-quality exhibits at this year's fair," Bays said.

The fair earned a first place prize for Best Solution-Based Communication Effort for its new exhibit "Onondaga Lake: A Fresh Gateway to the New New York."  

The exhibit, which occupied an entire wing of the Center of Progress Building at this year's fair, showed fairgoers how the work to remediate the lake is creating economic opportunity throughout the region and is helping restore fish and bird species to the lake habitat. 

A committee of more than a dozen non-profit, educational, government, and business organizations worked with the fair to create the exhibit.

"This exhibit was the first of its kind at the fair," said Cornelius B. Murphy, Jr., president of State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) and co-chair of the exhibit committee. 

"The New York State Fair partnered with all of us to develop a 2,000-square-foot exhibit that showed New Yorkers how coordinated remediation efforts between state and local partners at Onondaga Lake are changing the region and providing for future economic vitality. It is an extraordinary story of a community coming together to improve not only Onondaga Lake, but the quality of life in Central New York," Murphy said.

Another of the fair's new exhibits also won a major national honor from IAFE. The New York Animal Agriculture Coalition's Dairy Cow Birthing Center earned second place in the agricultural competition for Fair and Sponsor/Partner Joint Exhibit Program.  

The center was packed with fairgoers, anxious to witness a dairy cow giving birth to a baby calf. The center featured 30 births throughout the Fair with farmers and veterinarians on hand to answer questions about the birthing process and dairy farms in general. A live webcam of the birthing center, offered through Cornell University, allowed people at home to share in the excitement.

Jessica Ziehm, executive director of the New York Animal Agriculture Coalition (NYAAC), said, "The production of milk starts with the birth of a baby calf, and so it made sense to us to showcase this phenomenon at the State Fair, as NYAAC works to educate the public about modern dairy farms.

"Fairgoers wowed us with their interest in this exhibit and our farmers were thrilled to share their passion and commitment to the care of dairy cows with the public. We are honored with this recognition and thank the New York State Fair for partnering with us to provide this unique opportunity to the public," Ziehm said.

The fair's advertising and marketing efforts, created by its marketing firm, Pinckney Hugo Group of Syracuse, won several awards, including three first place awards.

• The fair's television commercials for its advance sale and concert ticket sales efforts won first place in the television category;
• The fair's e-mail newsletter announcing a special ticket sale for the Toby Keith concert won in the electronic newsletter category;
• All of the fair's efforts to tie its marketing back to its mobile platform won for best mobile campaign;
• A full-page newspaper ad touting the availability of advance sale tickets won third place in the color newspaper ads category, and;
• A full-page magazine ad for advance sale tickets won third place in the magazine ad category.

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

Duroc sow with her piglets at the New York State Fair

Pigs and hogs aren't huge in New York state, compared to other animals such as cattle or horses.

In fact, New York ranks 32nd in the country in hogs. Iowa is number one.

According to the Census of Agriculture for 2002, there were 1,527 hog and pig operations in New York state raising 81,886 head of swine. 

The 2007 Census of Agriculture shows more pigs and hogs, with 1,871 operations and 85,741 swine. In 2010, there were about 110,000 pigs and hogs raised in the state, with a total value of $11.8 million.

But compare this to Iowa. About a quarter of all the swine in the country come from Iowa -- in 2002, there were 10,205 hog and pig operations in Iowa and a total of 15,486,531 pigs and hogs being raised.

I talked to Joe Krenzer, of Caledonia, Livingston County, about swine. He raised pigs and hogs for 53 years. He said the 'one thing' he would like the public to know about pigs is "they should eat pork. It's good for you."

According to various nutrition websites, pork is a great source of protein. But you do have to watch out for various cuts that can contain more fat than others. Look for something like pork tenderloin --  3.5 ounce serving has 135 calories and 30 grams of protein, according to sharecare.com.  

Pork is the world's most consumed meat.

By the way, in case you are wondering, there is a difference between a hog and a pig. Hog is the general name for the animal while a pig is a young hog. A gilt is a female that has not yet been bred to have a litter of piglets. 

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

An Arabian male, age 13, eats some hay at the New York State Fair

The horse shows at the Coliseum at the New York State Fair are some of the most entertaining things to see while at the fairgrounds.

There are so many different types of horses to see, including working horses like Percherons and Belgians, and even miniature horses.

Some are shown by adults and some by kids. There also are competitions with the working horses pulling wagons.

And there's always something going on in the Coliseum, so be sure to stop by.

Also go to the Horse Barn and check out the horses and talk to the people who raise them. I did just that and ran into Morgan Rether, 15, of Camillus, who owns five horses and had some of them at the fair.

I asked her what 'one thing' she would like to tell the public about horses. She said: "They cost a lot of money. But they're good companions, they're fun and they're nice."

According to the 2005 equine survey for New York, there wee 197,000 horses in the state. About 87,000 were used for pleasure, followed by 27,000 for competition, 26,900 for breeding, 14,500 for racing and 11,100 for lessons.

There were 33,000 equine operations in the state in 2005. Total assets of the equine industry were $10.4 billion and expenditures by the industry into the New York economy totaled $2.1 billion.

New York State Fair Farmers' Market Really Something to Behold

There are only two days left (Sunday and Monday) for the New York State Fair.

Be sure, once inside the main gate, to stop at the Farmers' Market and check out the locally grown vegetables and fruits. 

Of course, you don't want to carry them around with you all day, so be sure to stop before you leave to buy some for dinner. Or tomorrow's dinner.

Enjoy!!

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

Garden display at the Men's Garden Club of Syracuse

While most people thing of agriculture as being a vegetable or a cow, one of the largest segments of agriculture in New York state is floriculture.

Yes, each spring when you head out to the nursery or greenhouse or garden center to pick up a tree, shrubs or some annual or perennial flowers to surround your home, you are participating in the floriculture industry.

New York state ranks ninth in the nation in floriculture, according to USDA statistics. Commercial sales from stores with more than $10,000 in sales totaled $169 million in 2012.

Bedding and garden plants was the largest segment of that at $102 million. That was followed by potted flowering plants, with sales of $26.6 million in the state.

There were 577 growers in 2012, using 25.2 million square feet of area to grow their flowers, plants, shrubs and trees.

I talked with Mary Haynes, of Syracuse, with the Men's Garden Club of Syracuse, at the club's display inside the Horticulture Building. She said the 'one thing' she wants the public to know is: "The backbone of all gardens is the soil." Without nutritious, properly worked soil, plants and flowers won't do well.

She went on to talk about the importance of knowing the sunlight, water and nutrition requirements of whatever you are planting.

Old Farm Tractors at the New York State Fair

Here are a couple of great old farm tractors on display at the New York State Fair. 

These were photographed during the daily parade:

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

Grand champion tree by Michael McDonald of Painted Post, Steuben County

Yes, it's really not the time of year people are thinking about Christmas trees.

But they are a big part of the New York state agricultural economy. The state ranks 11th in the country in Christmas trees and sales total about $21 million a year.

I met up with Mike Daniels, of Skaneateles, in the Christmas tree booth on the west end of the Horticulture Building. I asked him what 'one thing' he would like to tell the public about Christmas trees:

"They have a wonderful fragrance, they're fire resistant and they're traditional," he said. "You didn't have artificial trees 100 years ago. They are also a natural product and they're renewable -- when one is cut down, it is replaced when he plant two or three more."

The Christmas tree growers booth, located across from the troopers, comes complete with a decked out Christmas tree, a dancing Santa and even some "snow." 

There are 850 Christmas tree farmers in the state growing the following species of trees: Austrian pine, balsam fir, blue spruce, Canaan fir, Colorado spruce, concolor fir, Douglas fir, Fraser fir, Norway spruce, Scotch pine, white pine and white spruce. 

More than 17,000 acres of Christmas trees are grown in the state and 98 percent of all Christmas trees are grown on farms. Planting and growing Christmas trees are good for the environment as they remove more than 2,000 tons of carbon from the air and release about 5,800 ton of oxygen into the air.

According to the Christmas tree farmers website, Christmas trees remove dust and pollen from the air and an acre of trees provide the daily oxygen requirements for 18 people. Two to three seedlings are planted for every tree harvested at Christmas time.

And tree growers throughout the state participate in the Trees for Troops program, in which trees are donated to send to military service people overseas and to their families on bases in the states.

11 Boys, 8 Girls So Far at the New York State Fair Dairy Cow Birthing Centr

The count is at 11 bulls and eight heifers as of 12:05 today (Thursday) at the Dairy Cow Birthing Center at the New York State Fair.

Another bull was born today at 12:05 p.m.

Be sure to stop into the center over by the FFA and 4-H buildings.

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.

State Fair Gives Farmers a Chance to Educate Public About Food Production

A story about the http://www.oneidadispatch.com/articles/2013/08/26/news/doc52193f72225a8867872707.txt#.Uh1ZtqlVQk4.facebook State Fair in the Oneida Daily Dispatch.

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

A couple of sheep at the New York State Fair

Sheep aren't one of the largest agriculture entities in New York state, but they are important just the same.

When I stopped into the goat/sheep barn at the New York State Fair, I talked to sheep owner Cheryl Saxton of Ava, Oneida County. I asked her what 'One Thing' she would like the public to know about sheep.

"They really have a lot of personality," she said while looking over her animals. "And the thing we get asked most often is why they are wearing blankets. The blankets are to keep them clean. People

Another State Fair sheep

think they're to keep them warm." 

There are about 15 to 20 different sheep breeds on display at the state fair and many of them competed in the sheep shows earlier this week.

Of course, sheep are known for being sheared and their fleece being used to make wool fiber. Some also are used for meat and young sheep, called lambs, also are used as a well-known meat product.

Wool production in New York state increased from 2011 to 2012, from 210,000 pounds to 220,000 pounds. There were 70,000 sheep in the state on Jan. 1, 2013, up 13 percent from the 62,000 head a year before.

A total of 45,000 lambs were born in New York state in 2012.

Video Interview on Why the Dairy Cow Birthing Center is So Popular

Nice video explanation of why the Dairy Cow Birthing Center at the State Fair http://www.onenewspage.us/video/20130826/1387847/Dairy-Day-at-the-Fair-26-13.htm is so popular.

Check it out.

Empire Room at New York State Fair Serving NY Wines, Spirits

The new operators of the Empire Room at the New York State Fair are offering both New York wines and New York spirits for sale this year.

Last year, not quite sure what was going on. A vineyard owner emailed me after last year's fair to say the Empire Room wasn't selling one single New York wine.

A story http://www.steubencourier.com/x1531247936/State-fair-eateries-ignore-N-Y-state-wines from last year in the Steuben Courier Advocate headquartered in Bath stated only one New York wine -- from Glenora Wine Cellars -- was being sold at the Empire Room.

Of course, I couldn't verify anything because I received zero responses from three phone calls and two emails to the state Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Anyway, this year, new Empire Room operators Jay and Kathy Bernhardt, owners of the Hotel Clarence in Seneca Falls and the Red Mill Inn in Baldwinsville, and Ben Eberhardt, who manages operations at the Sherwood Inn in Skaneateles and the Colgate Inn in Hamilton, have brought many New York state wines and spirits back to the Empire Room.

In fact from 2 to 4 p.m. today, there will be a wine tasting of wines from Glenora Wine Cellars on Seneca Lake. 

So congrats to the Empire Room for being a real Taste of New York.

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

Two Hereford beef cattle from Wayne County chow down at the NYS Fair

Today is Beef Day at the New York State Fair.

Be sure to check out the beef cattle in the beef cattle building at the back of the fair, not far from the FFA and 4-H sites.

You'll be able to see all types of beef cattle, including many of the most popular breeds such as Angus, Hereford, Limousin, Charolais, Simmental, Shorthorns and Red Angus.

I went out to the beef cattle building and found Lori Wheeler, of Newark, Wayne County, who was unloading her Herefords for the fair. I asked her what 'One Thing' she would like the public to know about beef cattle and beef farming:

"Beef is a growing industry but with the economy, it is getting harder and harder to raise beef cattle," she said. She also said when people go to the grocery store to buy beef, they should look at the grading system -- prime cuts are tops, followed by select and then choice.

There were 90,000 beef cattle in New York state as of Jan. 1. But beef replacement heifers were up 8 percent from 2012 at 41,000 head.    

Have a great Beef Day at the fair. And also be sure to stop into the New York Beef Industry Council exhibit in the Dairy Products Building to see demonstrations on how to prepare beef and veal and pick up handy brochures about beef cuts and what to do with them.

Syracuse Radio Station Wins Dairy Day Milkshake/Smoothie Contest at New York State Fair

Movin' 100.3 radio station in Syracuse won the milkshake/smoothie making contest during Dairy Day at the New York State Fair Monday.

It was the radio station's first time entering the contest. Not a bad outcome, huh?

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

A dairy cow looks pretty at the camera at the State Fair.

Today is Dairy Day at the New York State Fair.

We get all that great milk from the various dairy breeds that are raised throughout New York state. The most popular breed is the Holstein, which is the ever-common black and white cows that dot the countryside across the state.

Other popular breeds in New York state are Jersey, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Red and White Holsteins, Ayrshires, Milking Shorthorns and Dutch Belted.

Two dairy cows relax at the NYS Fair

Some of the delicious items made from New York state dairy milk include cheese, yogurt and ice cream.

New York state has recently been named the yogurt capital of the United States, with three large yogurt plants (Chobani, Fage and Muller) up and running in the state. 

I caught up with Pat Lundy, a dairy farmer from Granville, Washington County, in the dairy cattle building at the State Fair and asked him what 'One Thing' he would like the public to know about dairy cattle and dairy farming:

"I want the public to know they can't judge all of us on the one-half percent of farmers you see hte animal rights people talking about," Lundy said. "99.5 percent of us live our lives to take good care of our animals."

In 2012, there were 610,000 dairy cattle in New York state, the same as in 2011. The cows produced 21,633 pounds of milk each on average and the total production of milk in the state in 2012 was 13.2 billion pounds, up from 12.8 billion pounds in 2011. One hundred pounds of milk equals 11.6 gallons of milk.

Happy Dairy Day! Enjoy and be sure to visit the Dairy Products Buildings to have some cheese, ice cream or a cup of that delicious cold white or chocolate milk at the Dairy Bar.

Bull Calf Born Sunday Afternoon in the State Fair Dairy Cow Birthing Center

This isn't the greatest photo taken from my computer screen, but it shows a cow licking her newborn bull calf. 

The calf was born in the Dairy Cow Birthing Center at the New York State Fair at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

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

The photos to the left and below show just some of the poultry you will find in the Poultry Building at the New York State Fair. In addition to chickens, there are ducks, Cornish hens, turkeys, baby chicks and also rabbits.

Come to find out, you can even teach an old dog like me a few tricks when it comes to agriculture.

When I popped into the Poultry Building to ask my 'One Thing' question to a poultry owner, I learned a couple of things I never knew.

Here's what Karen Brouillette, of Knoxboro, Oneida County, said when I asked her what 'One Thing' she would tell the public about poultry:

"There are lots of different breeds," she said. "When looking at chickens, if they have a red earlobe, they will lay brown eggs. If they have a white earlobe, they will lay white eggs."

She said the only difference in these eggs is shell color. They taste the same and have the same nutrition.

I also learned that depending on whether the poultry is fed feed or is eats out in the field also will make a difference in the eggs.

Brouillette said free range poultry feeding outside in a field eat grasses along with some occasional bugs. This supplies them with more protein, so their eggs' yolks will be darker yellow, sometimes even an orange color. She said people will notice a difference in taste in these eggs. 

Dairy Cow Birthing Center a Big Hit!!

I have been thrilled to see how many people are stopping at the Dairy Cow Birthing Center at the New York State Fair.

Honestly, when my friend Jessica Ziehm first told me about this, I thought folks might be a tad too squeamish to watch a live birth. But boy was I wrong.

Stopped in to the center Friday night and there were at least more than 100 people there waiting for a cow to give birth. Hope they got to see it. I had to leave and missed yet another birth. I've been within 15 minutes of two births so far and not sure when the cow last night finally delivered, but I left the center at a little before 8, I think.

Anyway, congrats Jessica and everyone involved in this endeavor. What a great addition to the fair. And happy birthdays to all the little heifers and bulls.

By the way, in the event you missed it in my first post on the center, go to www.vet.cornell.edu/news/NYSFair and watch the live cam from the birthing pen.