Melanie Wickham, who is leaving the leadership of the Empire State Potato Growers, has received a national award.
Check it out at https://www.thepacker.com/article/new-york-leader-awarded-2017-potato-woman-all-seasons this link.
Congrats, Melanie.
Showing posts with label Empire State Potato Growers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Empire State Potato Growers. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Potato Farm Finds Ways to Survive
From Empire Farm & Dairy magazine
By LESLIE SHELDON
lsheldon@wdt.net
GABRIELS — Nestled in the northern Adirondack Park, with Whiteface Mountain in view to the east, a small, diverse farm is making its mark in the potato industry.
Tucker Farms, Inc. has been in business 152 years and is owned and operated by fifth-generation farmers Dick, Steve and Tom Tucker, in Gabriels, Franklin County, N.Y.
The farm produces 14 varieties of New York-certified seed and table-stock potatoes, and it supplies potatoes and other vegetables to several high-end restaurants in Lake Placid, a local tourist town that hosted the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.
The Tucker brothers say the key to success is diversification.
“You just can’t be doing the same thing as the economy changes and what people eat changes,” Steve Tucker said.
The farm plants between 65 and 70 different vegetables, but the main crop for the Tuckers is potatoes, which the farm began growing in the 1920s.
“It’s an ideal climate for potatoes,” Tom said. “We’re isolated from everywhere, we get a pretty good dew every night so they’re always getting some moisture. It’s cool so it’s not too hot during the day, so it’s kind of ideal growing conditions.”
The Tucker Taters brand was established 50 years ago by the Tuckers’ father, Don, the same year Tom was born. Don drew the brand’s original logo that is still in use.
The Tucker family has learned to thrive in a region known for the coolest temperatures in the state. The area has a substantially shorter growing season compared to the rest of New York.
“It’s picking the right crops that will survive,” Tom said. “Usually our last frost is around June 10th and our first killing frost is usually right around Labor Day, so you’ve got a pretty narrow window. If you go 50 miles, or even 40 miles, in any direction around us, you gain two weeks on the spring and two weeks on the fall, growing-wise, so that’s a month that we don’t have. (The main thing) is growing the crops that will fit in that window.”
The farm is comprised of 390 acres, and the Tuckers rent another 105 acres. They grow nearly 50 acres of potatoes, and their goal is to increase to as many as 60.
Tom’s son, Ben, is a high school senior at Saranac Lake Central and plans to farm full time following graduation, allowing the family to increase its acreage.
“I love being here, and I love the area,” said Ben, who is able to perform every job on the farm that his father and uncles do. “There is a little bit of pressure because the farm’s been in the family for over 150 years. I think that’s the main reason why it drives me to do it because the family’s been doing it for so long it makes me want to stay here.”
The Tuckers grow oats, rye and buckwheat as cover crops. Their potato-seed production is on a three-year rotation, so the two years it’s not potatoes it’s in grain, so they sell a lot of straw for landscaping.
The farm’s six acres of vegetables range from leafy greens to assorted colors of carrots.
“The restaurants all want something different. The more exotic, the more they want it,” Steve said. “So different-colored beets and different-colored Swiss chards.”
It’s hard to sell a common vegetable like green beans because everybody has green beans, according to Steve.
“Anything that helps the restaurants be different that’s what they’re looking for,” Tom said. “They want something that the restaurant next door doesn’t have on their menu, so we try to be as broad a range as we can grow.”
The farm typically harvests vegetables for the restaurants on Thursdays and Fridays during the summer. Their leafy greens and lettuces are picked first thing in the morning on Friday, and they try to have Steve on the road at 2 p.m. so he can deliver to the restaurants before their dinner hours.
The Tuckers also supply nearby Paul Smith’s College with potatoes for its culinary program. Every year the students tour the farm and get to see where all the vegetables are grown.
“Right now they’re taking 10 pounds of each variety, two varieties a week, and they’re doing all kinds of cooking trials with each of the different varieties,” Tom said. “The chef comes once a week when he picks up the next variety and tells us what they’ve done with them and the different things they liked or didn’t like.”
The farm has made connections with some of the local school districts. The Tuckers have been hosting kindergartners since 1973. The kids get to see potatoes harvested, and the Tuckers leave some potatoes on the ground for the kids to pick up and take home.
This is the second year the Tuckers have been selling potatoes in the Saranac Lake Central School district, and in past years they also sold potatoes to the Newcomb Central School district for use in fundraising.
Each family member has his own area of expertise and responsibility. Steve handles all the seed potato sales and does the spraying. Tom handles the purchasing, tillage, planting and crop rotation.
Dick, retired from General Electric, lives 150 miles away in Schenectady and provides all the computer work, including updating the farm’s website. He also helps out with planting and harvesting.
The family has faced plenty of challenges over the years, in addition to the weather and the short growing season. Tom has advice to offer farmers trying to remain profitable.
“Always look outside of the box,” Tom said. “Always try to do something that somebody else isn’t doing already.”
“That’s why I’ve always felt bad about the milk industry,” Tom said. “That’s all they’ve ever done their entire life, but you gotta look and figure out how to do it differently than the next guy and try to make yours a little more unique from them. Always try to figure out something new and different to try to stay ahead of the curve.”
The Tuckers did this by introducing ag tourism into their operation nearly 15 years ago to help keep their farm in operation.
They provided you-pick strawberries for several years until they found it was too labor-intensive to keep the weeds out of the berry patch.
They now offer you-pick pumpkins, the Great Adirondack Corn Maze, and they rent their farm out for weddings and other events.
But they were reluctant to get started.
“We would have never gotten into ag tourism,” Tom said. “We go to Cornell Cooperative Extension meetings three or four times a year to learn about the different vegetables, and it was Essex County’s Anita Deming and Amy Ivy that got us talking to at least considering ag tourism. Of course we’re sitting there, ‘Well, we’re a potato farmer, why do we need to worry about that?’”
seed potatoes brings income in the spring...
“But we were struggling and the free trade really screwed up potato farming, so that was one of those, ‘Well, maybe we should try something different.’”
The staff at Cooperative Extension was instrumental.
“They helped us along the way, so I can’t say anything but good things about Cooperative Extension and their promotion ideas and their willingness to work with farmers,” Tom said.
“When counties and governments are cutting things that’s one program that I just hope they never cut out because it’s the only true education experience some people will get in the agricultural field. There’s an agency out there that’s willing to help them get information they may need to get good crops,” Tom said.
The farm began offering the Great Adirondack Corn Maze in 2004, and the maze is a different design every year. This season it’s a tribute to the area’s music festival and features a guitar, trumpet, drums and music notes.
“We wouldn’t be still doing it if it wasn’t making money, and it’s a great way to bring people to the farm to see farming and see it’s not what you read in a book, it’s not what you see on TV, that we’re still an active working farm,” Tom said. “There are a lot of people who just don’t have a concept of where their food comes from, so it’s a really good thing to do.”
Tucker Farms was affected by the drought that impacted many regions of New York state this summer.
“We went three and a half weeks with no rain here,” Tom said. “So it was about the time that potatoes would have set the number of tubers. It set nice tubers, but it wasn’t the number of tubers that it could have or normally would have set per plant. So the yield numbers are down, but the quality and the potatoes look nice.”
The farm wasn’t able to offer you-pick pumpkins this year due to the drought. The farm sits on top of a hill, and there is no easy way to irrigate. Tom said they usually offer wagon rides to the pumpkin patch at harvest time.
“We had beautiful plants and blossoms, but we just didn’t have enough rain at the time to get them to grow big enough,” Tom said.
There is little other agriculture in the area, and some of the wealthiest in the world have homes in the area. But the Tuckers would not choose another lifestyle.
“Farming is not easy,” Tom Tucker said. “Farming is a way of life. And not everybody is cut out to be a farmer, but the life that we have chosen, I can’t think of a better way to live.”
For more information on Tucker Farms, visit www.tuckertaters.com or search for “Tucker Taters” and “Tucker Farms Great Adirondack Corn Maze” on Facebook.
Editor’s note: Don Tucker, the patriarch of the Tucker family, passed away in his sleep Oct. 14, two days after the photos and interviews were completed for this story. He was 90.
By LESLIE SHELDON
lsheldon@wdt.net
GABRIELS — Nestled in the northern Adirondack Park, with Whiteface Mountain in view to the east, a small, diverse farm is making its mark in the potato industry.
Tucker Farms, Inc. has been in business 152 years and is owned and operated by fifth-generation farmers Dick, Steve and Tom Tucker, in Gabriels, Franklin County, N.Y.
The farm produces 14 varieties of New York-certified seed and table-stock potatoes, and it supplies potatoes and other vegetables to several high-end restaurants in Lake Placid, a local tourist town that hosted the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.
The Tucker brothers say the key to success is diversification.
“You just can’t be doing the same thing as the economy changes and what people eat changes,” Steve Tucker said.
The farm plants between 65 and 70 different vegetables, but the main crop for the Tuckers is potatoes, which the farm began growing in the 1920s.
“It’s an ideal climate for potatoes,” Tom said. “We’re isolated from everywhere, we get a pretty good dew every night so they’re always getting some moisture. It’s cool so it’s not too hot during the day, so it’s kind of ideal growing conditions.”
The Tucker Taters brand was established 50 years ago by the Tuckers’ father, Don, the same year Tom was born. Don drew the brand’s original logo that is still in use.
The Tucker family has learned to thrive in a region known for the coolest temperatures in the state. The area has a substantially shorter growing season compared to the rest of New York.
“It’s picking the right crops that will survive,” Tom said. “Usually our last frost is around June 10th and our first killing frost is usually right around Labor Day, so you’ve got a pretty narrow window. If you go 50 miles, or even 40 miles, in any direction around us, you gain two weeks on the spring and two weeks on the fall, growing-wise, so that’s a month that we don’t have. (The main thing) is growing the crops that will fit in that window.”
The farm is comprised of 390 acres, and the Tuckers rent another 105 acres. They grow nearly 50 acres of potatoes, and their goal is to increase to as many as 60.
Tom’s son, Ben, is a high school senior at Saranac Lake Central and plans to farm full time following graduation, allowing the family to increase its acreage.
“I love being here, and I love the area,” said Ben, who is able to perform every job on the farm that his father and uncles do. “There is a little bit of pressure because the farm’s been in the family for over 150 years. I think that’s the main reason why it drives me to do it because the family’s been doing it for so long it makes me want to stay here.”
The Tuckers grow oats, rye and buckwheat as cover crops. Their potato-seed production is on a three-year rotation, so the two years it’s not potatoes it’s in grain, so they sell a lot of straw for landscaping.
The farm’s six acres of vegetables range from leafy greens to assorted colors of carrots.
“The restaurants all want something different. The more exotic, the more they want it,” Steve said. “So different-colored beets and different-colored Swiss chards.”
It’s hard to sell a common vegetable like green beans because everybody has green beans, according to Steve.
“Anything that helps the restaurants be different that’s what they’re looking for,” Tom said. “They want something that the restaurant next door doesn’t have on their menu, so we try to be as broad a range as we can grow.”
The farm typically harvests vegetables for the restaurants on Thursdays and Fridays during the summer. Their leafy greens and lettuces are picked first thing in the morning on Friday, and they try to have Steve on the road at 2 p.m. so he can deliver to the restaurants before their dinner hours.
The Tuckers also supply nearby Paul Smith’s College with potatoes for its culinary program. Every year the students tour the farm and get to see where all the vegetables are grown.
“Right now they’re taking 10 pounds of each variety, two varieties a week, and they’re doing all kinds of cooking trials with each of the different varieties,” Tom said. “The chef comes once a week when he picks up the next variety and tells us what they’ve done with them and the different things they liked or didn’t like.”
The farm has made connections with some of the local school districts. The Tuckers have been hosting kindergartners since 1973. The kids get to see potatoes harvested, and the Tuckers leave some potatoes on the ground for the kids to pick up and take home.
This is the second year the Tuckers have been selling potatoes in the Saranac Lake Central School district, and in past years they also sold potatoes to the Newcomb Central School district for use in fundraising.
Each family member has his own area of expertise and responsibility. Steve handles all the seed potato sales and does the spraying. Tom handles the purchasing, tillage, planting and crop rotation.
Dick, retired from General Electric, lives 150 miles away in Schenectady and provides all the computer work, including updating the farm’s website. He also helps out with planting and harvesting.
The family has faced plenty of challenges over the years, in addition to the weather and the short growing season. Tom has advice to offer farmers trying to remain profitable.
“Always look outside of the box,” Tom said. “Always try to do something that somebody else isn’t doing already.”
“That’s why I’ve always felt bad about the milk industry,” Tom said. “That’s all they’ve ever done their entire life, but you gotta look and figure out how to do it differently than the next guy and try to make yours a little more unique from them. Always try to figure out something new and different to try to stay ahead of the curve.”
The Tuckers did this by introducing ag tourism into their operation nearly 15 years ago to help keep their farm in operation.
They provided you-pick strawberries for several years until they found it was too labor-intensive to keep the weeds out of the berry patch.
They now offer you-pick pumpkins, the Great Adirondack Corn Maze, and they rent their farm out for weddings and other events.
But they were reluctant to get started.
“We would have never gotten into ag tourism,” Tom said. “We go to Cornell Cooperative Extension meetings three or four times a year to learn about the different vegetables, and it was Essex County’s Anita Deming and Amy Ivy that got us talking to at least considering ag tourism. Of course we’re sitting there, ‘Well, we’re a potato farmer, why do we need to worry about that?’”
seed potatoes brings income in the spring...
“But we were struggling and the free trade really screwed up potato farming, so that was one of those, ‘Well, maybe we should try something different.’”
The staff at Cooperative Extension was instrumental.
“They helped us along the way, so I can’t say anything but good things about Cooperative Extension and their promotion ideas and their willingness to work with farmers,” Tom said.
“When counties and governments are cutting things that’s one program that I just hope they never cut out because it’s the only true education experience some people will get in the agricultural field. There’s an agency out there that’s willing to help them get information they may need to get good crops,” Tom said.
The farm began offering the Great Adirondack Corn Maze in 2004, and the maze is a different design every year. This season it’s a tribute to the area’s music festival and features a guitar, trumpet, drums and music notes.
“We wouldn’t be still doing it if it wasn’t making money, and it’s a great way to bring people to the farm to see farming and see it’s not what you read in a book, it’s not what you see on TV, that we’re still an active working farm,” Tom said. “There are a lot of people who just don’t have a concept of where their food comes from, so it’s a really good thing to do.”
Tucker Farms was affected by the drought that impacted many regions of New York state this summer.
“We went three and a half weeks with no rain here,” Tom said. “So it was about the time that potatoes would have set the number of tubers. It set nice tubers, but it wasn’t the number of tubers that it could have or normally would have set per plant. So the yield numbers are down, but the quality and the potatoes look nice.”
The farm wasn’t able to offer you-pick pumpkins this year due to the drought. The farm sits on top of a hill, and there is no easy way to irrigate. Tom said they usually offer wagon rides to the pumpkin patch at harvest time.
“We had beautiful plants and blossoms, but we just didn’t have enough rain at the time to get them to grow big enough,” Tom said.
There is little other agriculture in the area, and some of the wealthiest in the world have homes in the area. But the Tuckers would not choose another lifestyle.
“Farming is not easy,” Tom Tucker said. “Farming is a way of life. And not everybody is cut out to be a farmer, but the life that we have chosen, I can’t think of a better way to live.”
For more information on Tucker Farms, visit www.tuckertaters.com or search for “Tucker Taters” and “Tucker Farms Great Adirondack Corn Maze” on Facebook.
Editor’s note: Don Tucker, the patriarch of the Tucker family, passed away in his sleep Oct. 14, two days after the photos and interviews were completed for this story. He was 90.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Potato Growers Honor Trumansburg Student
 |
| Cassandra Proctor |
Proctor graduated from Charles O. Dickerson High School in Trumansburg in June. She plans to study plant sciences at Cornell University in the fall and hopes to earn a doctoral degree in plant genetics and to research ways to improve plant yield and suitability for impoverished areas.
As a high school senior, she served as an FFA Co-Treasurer, and participated in the Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga New Visions in Life Sciences Program that allowed her to intern in the Boyce Thompson Institute plant genetics research lab at Cornell University.
Proctor was selected to attend the Global Youth Institute hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation in Iowa in 2015. This summer Cassie will travel to the Phillipines on an eight-week Borlaug Ruan International Internship at the International Rice Research Institute.
"The Empire State Potato Growers Association is pleased to recognize Cassandra Proctor for outstanding achievement and vision related to plant science and global food production needs," said Empire State Potato Growers Association Scholarship Committee Chairman Andrew Pryputniewicz.
The Empire State Potato Growers will recognize Proctor as its 2016 scholarship winner at the Ag Leadership Luncheon at Empire Farm Days on Wednesday, Aug. 10 at Rodman Lott & Son Farms in Seneca Falls.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
New York Chips to Hit Wegmans Shelves This Weekend
Great story from colleagues at the Daily News in Batavia:
Go to http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/bdn01/new-york-chips-to-hit-wegmans-shelves-this-weekend-20160120
Go to http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/bdn01/new-york-chips-to-hit-wegmans-shelves-this-weekend-20160120
Friday, October 30, 2015
New York Potatoes Are A Must for Thanksgiving Dinner
 |
| An Adirondack blue potato |
No matter how you eat them — mashed, boiled, fried, scallopped or in a casserole — potatoes are a hearty starch filled with nutrients.
And yes, you can get potatoes grown in New York state.
There are 150 New York potato growers who grow and harvest 18,000 acres of the vegetable, mostly Upstate and on Long Island.
One is Jeff Hopkinson, who grows 70 acres of potatoes and seed potatoes in Williamstown, Oswego County. He finished harvesting his crop in early October and said the yield is good and the quality is “awesome.”
“We had a dry July and August, so I had to irrigate a lot,” he said. “But the size is good, the quality is fantastic, and there are no rotten ones. They are all nice.”
You can’t see much when you drive by a potato farm because all the growing takes place under the soil. Potatoes come in all sizes and different colors, such as red, white or blue. Some are better for varied types of cooking, whether it’s baking, boiling or frying.
And some potatoes aren’t eaten at all.
Hopkinson, a fourth-generation potato farmer, said he sells only about 20 percent of his 70 acres of potatoes for table stock. People come to the farm to buy them, and they are sold in some small stores.
But the other potatoes are sold to potato farmers for seed stock, and Hopkinson said most of his go to Florida.
Many potato farmers in New York got involved in the seed business years ago, when it became another way to earn money. Hopkinson said that although the price of table potatoes can fluctuate wildly, seed prices are fairly stable.
Hopkinson is a certified seed provider — one of eight in New York state — meaning his farm undergoes about five inspections of his crop each year to ensure the potatoes used for seed are healthy and not spreading any diseases, such as the harmful potato leaf roll and potato mosaic viruses.
Certified seed is recognized in national and state legislation as meeting high standards for genetic purity and quality.
Hopkinson explained that seed potatoes don’t look any different from the vegetable that could grace a person’s plate. The difference is the inspections and care to be sure they are disease-free and that they always are kept in a cool, darkened storage area for sale later when they have begun to sprout eyes — those hard, beige tubes that grow out of the sides of potatoes. These eyes are the seeds and eventually grow into brand-new potatoes.
Here are the eight certified seed potato program participants in New York state:
** Ayers & Gillette, Pike, Wyoming County, 585-493-2394, T1ayers@yahoo.com
** Kurt Brehm, Wayland, Steuben County, 585- 315-8746
** Childstock Farms, Inc., Malone, Franklin County, 518-483-1239, rchild@childfarm.net
** Hopkinson Farms, Williamstown, Oswego County, 315-964-2221
** Andrew Pryputniewicz, Waterville, Oneida County, 315-841-8426, seedpotato@frontier.com
** Bruce H. Pryputniewicz, Sauquoit, Oneida County, 315-839-5301, bp1potato@frontiernet.net
** Tucker Farms, Inc., Gabriels, Franklin County, 518-637-1230, adkspud@hotmail.com , potatofarmer@westelcom.com , www.tuckertaters.com
** Cornell Uihlein Potato Farm, Lake Placid, Essex County, 518-523-3258, cmn5@cornell.edu , klp3@cornell.edu, uihleinfarm.pppmb.cals.cornell.edu
Potato Facts
** New York ranks 14th in the country in potato production. Idaho is first and Washington second.
** Potatoes are filled with fiber, Vitamin C and potassium, and they have no fat or cholesterol and only 100 calories per serving. The vegetable is 90 percent water.
** New York potato producers grow the vegetable for Cape Cod, Wise, Utz, Herr’s, Terrell’s and other regional potato chip companies.
** It is said that the potato chip was born in New York. In 1853, railroad magnate Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt complained that his potatoes were cut too thick and sent them back to the kitchen at a fashionable resort in Saratoga Springs.
To spite him, chef George Crum sliced some potatoes paper-thin, fried them in hot oil, salted and served them. Vanderbilt loved his “Saratoga Crunch Chips,” and potato chips have been popular ever since.
Source: Empire State Potato Growers
For more great stories like this one, subscribe to the monthly Empire Farm & Dairy magazine by writing to the Watertown Daily Times, 260 Washington St., Watertown, NY 13601
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Deadline is June 29 for FFA Students to Enter Tractor Driving Safety Contest
The deadline is June 29 for
FFA students to enter the New York State FFA Tractor Driving Safety Contest at
the 2015 Empire Farm Days at Rodman Lott & Son Farms in Seneca Falls.
The competition will be
held Thursday, Aug. 13 as part of the Northeast’s largest outdoor agricultural
trade show.
Students complete a written
safety exam, a parts identification task, and driving courses with 2-wheel and
4-wheel wagons. The Junior division is open to 14-16 year olds; the
16-18-year-old Senior division winner will compete at the Big E Exposition in
Springfield, Mass., in September.
“This annual competition at
Empire Farm Days encourages students to learn proper tractor operation and to
make safety on the farm a priority,” says New York State FFA Tractor Driving
Safety Contest Coordinator Jon Clayson.
To pre-register, contestants
may submit their name and age division by June 29 to JClayson@pioneercsd.org. Walk-up
registrations will be accepted the day of the contest.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Naples High School Senior Wins Potato Growers Scholarship
 |
| Jacob Rathbun on his family farm |
The Empire State Potato Growers Association annually selects an undergraduate student residing in and attending college in New York to receive a $500 scholarship per academic year for up to four consecutive years of agricultural education.
Rathbun will graduate from Naples High School in June and then study for a degree in viticulture at Finger Lakes Community College. He plans to transfer to Cornell University to complete his bachelor's degree in viticulture and enology.
His career goal is to start his own grape farm and winery and grain production enterprise.
Rathbun was raised on the family farm in Naples, where he has helped fit ground, plant, hill and harvest 350 acres of potatoes. This spring Jacob and his father Charles Rathbun planted 50 acres of their first crop of barley to sell to the craft brewing industry.
He has a hobby planting of grapes on the farm. This summer he will visit vineyards and wineries in Italy.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
State Seeks Nominations for Environmental Award
From the state Department of Ag and Markets:
Nominations are being accepted for the statewide Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) Award.
Each year, the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, Empire State Potato Growers, and American Agriculturist magazine host this distinguished award, which highlights the outstanding environmental stewardship accomplished by farmers in partnership with respective County Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
Nominations are being accepted for the statewide Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM) Award.
Each year, the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, Empire State Potato Growers, and American Agriculturist magazine host this distinguished award, which highlights the outstanding environmental stewardship accomplished by farmers in partnership with respective County Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
The winner will be
announced during the Agricultural Leadership Luncheon at Empire Farm
Days in Seneca Falls this August.
“As a farm owner for 20 years, my land is my livelihood, and I’ve
worked with the Soil and Water Conservation District in Schoharie County
a number of times to get the most
out of it in an environmentally sound way,” said Ag and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball.
“This year, our goal is to honor the farm that takes environmental
stewardship through the AEM program to that next level. We’re looking
for creative ideas and examples of good partnerships
with local districts. We look forward to a worthy competition in
2014,” he said.
AEM
is a voluntary, incentive-based program that helps New York state
farmers make common-sense, cost-effective and science-based decisions to
help meet
business objectives while protecting and conserving the State’s natural
resources.
The
winning farm family and nominating district will each receive a
financial incentive to help them continue their environmental programs. In addition, all nominees will receive recognition for their valuable
efforts.
The nomination form must be received at the Department of Agriculture and Markets
via email no later than close of business on Wednesday, June 11 to
jodi.shain@agriculture.ny.gov.
The form can be downloaded at the following link:
Friday, October 18, 2013
Empire Farm Days Contest Winners Announced
Winners of contests and competitions at Empire Farm Days in Seneca Falls have been announced.
Lyons, NY, dairyman Dan Wolf won the Kubota RTV 400 sponsored by Kubota and Empire Farm Days.
“We go to Empire Farm Days see what’s new, talk to specific product dealers, and see people we do not cross paths with anywhere else,” Wolf adds. “It was a great surprise to win. It will get used a lot in varied ways because it is so convenient to jump on and go. It is a fair distance between the dairy complex and the shop, so the RTV is already saving us a lot of jogging back and forth,” Wolf says.
Dairy farmer Brad Almeter of Strykersville in western New York won the Savage 10 Trophy Hunter XP bolt action, accutrigger rifle with a Nikon 39x40 BDC scope sponsored by Beikirch’s Ammunition of Rochester.
Almeter says, “I try to go to Empire Farm Days every year. I was very surprised to win the rifle this year and plan to use it to hunt deer and small game.”
Joanne Schoonmaker of Manlius, Onondaga County, won the Empire Farm Days Equine Center saddle sponsored by Empire Farm Days.
Schoonmaker, who grew up on a small farm in the Hudson Valley and now own three horses, says, “I have always been interested in agricultural enterprises and Empire Farm Days is a wonderful place to be among the farming community, to see the equipment, and attend the different equine demonstrations each year.”
The top three winners of the 2013 New York State FFA Welding Contest, sponsored by Haun Welding, Briggs and Stratton Yard Power Products Group, Clinton Tractor and Implement, and the Calidonna Family, at Empire Farm Days received Morrisville State College scholarships. Dakota Pingrey of Pioneer Central School, Yorkshire, NY, earned top individual honors, followed by Perry Lewis of Penn Yan Central School and Hewitt Meeder of Sherman Central School. Meeder and Gabe Rater of Sherman Central School earned the High Team Performance honors.
The New York State Tractor Driving Safety Contest, sponsored by John Deere, Kubota, H&S Farm Equipment, New Holland Case International, the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health, Massey Ferguson, Java Farm Supply, Mabie Brothers, and the NYS FFA Leadership Training Foundation at the 2013 Empire Farm Days welcomed students from across the state. The winner of the Junior Division for 14-16-year-olds was Hadley Palmerton of Pioneer Central School. Dakota Pingrey of Pioneer Central School won the Senior Division for 16-18-year-olds.
Michael Murphy of Wayland, NY, received the 2013 Empire State Potato Growers Association Scholarship at the 2013 Empire Farm Days Ag Leadership Luncheon. The scholarship provides $500 per academic year for up to four consecutive years of agricultural education. Murphy has begun studying agricultural science with a business minor at Cornell University.
Sheland Dairy Farms, owned and operated by the Donald, Doug, and Todd Shelmidine of Jefferson County, was presented the NYS Agricultural Environmental Management Award, co-sponsored by the Empire State Potato Growers, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, and American Agriculturist magazine at the 2013 Empire Farm Days Leadership Luncheon.
Melanie Wickham, who manages the Northeast’s largest outdoor agricultural show, says, “We thank the Empire State Potato Growers Association, all the agribusiness sponsors, and FFA leaders who make the annual Empire Farm Days prize giveaways and youth contests possible. The prize winners are always thrilled to receive the practical items they can put to use right away on their farms and the students can add their successful competition performances to their resumes.”
Planning for the Aug. 5-7, 2014 Empire Farm Days is already underway.
For more details, contact Empire Farm Days Manager Melanie Wickham, 877-697-7837, mwickham@empirefarmdays.com.
Lyons, NY, dairyman Dan Wolf won the Kubota RTV 400 sponsored by Kubota and Empire Farm Days.
“We go to Empire Farm Days see what’s new, talk to specific product dealers, and see people we do not cross paths with anywhere else,” Wolf adds. “It was a great surprise to win. It will get used a lot in varied ways because it is so convenient to jump on and go. It is a fair distance between the dairy complex and the shop, so the RTV is already saving us a lot of jogging back and forth,” Wolf says.
Dairy farmer Brad Almeter of Strykersville in western New York won the Savage 10 Trophy Hunter XP bolt action, accutrigger rifle with a Nikon 39x40 BDC scope sponsored by Beikirch’s Ammunition of Rochester.
Almeter says, “I try to go to Empire Farm Days every year. I was very surprised to win the rifle this year and plan to use it to hunt deer and small game.”
Joanne Schoonmaker of Manlius, Onondaga County, won the Empire Farm Days Equine Center saddle sponsored by Empire Farm Days.
Schoonmaker, who grew up on a small farm in the Hudson Valley and now own three horses, says, “I have always been interested in agricultural enterprises and Empire Farm Days is a wonderful place to be among the farming community, to see the equipment, and attend the different equine demonstrations each year.”
The top three winners of the 2013 New York State FFA Welding Contest, sponsored by Haun Welding, Briggs and Stratton Yard Power Products Group, Clinton Tractor and Implement, and the Calidonna Family, at Empire Farm Days received Morrisville State College scholarships. Dakota Pingrey of Pioneer Central School, Yorkshire, NY, earned top individual honors, followed by Perry Lewis of Penn Yan Central School and Hewitt Meeder of Sherman Central School. Meeder and Gabe Rater of Sherman Central School earned the High Team Performance honors.
The New York State Tractor Driving Safety Contest, sponsored by John Deere, Kubota, H&S Farm Equipment, New Holland Case International, the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health, Massey Ferguson, Java Farm Supply, Mabie Brothers, and the NYS FFA Leadership Training Foundation at the 2013 Empire Farm Days welcomed students from across the state. The winner of the Junior Division for 14-16-year-olds was Hadley Palmerton of Pioneer Central School. Dakota Pingrey of Pioneer Central School won the Senior Division for 16-18-year-olds.
Michael Murphy of Wayland, NY, received the 2013 Empire State Potato Growers Association Scholarship at the 2013 Empire Farm Days Ag Leadership Luncheon. The scholarship provides $500 per academic year for up to four consecutive years of agricultural education. Murphy has begun studying agricultural science with a business minor at Cornell University.
Sheland Dairy Farms, owned and operated by the Donald, Doug, and Todd Shelmidine of Jefferson County, was presented the NYS Agricultural Environmental Management Award, co-sponsored by the Empire State Potato Growers, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, and American Agriculturist magazine at the 2013 Empire Farm Days Leadership Luncheon.
Melanie Wickham, who manages the Northeast’s largest outdoor agricultural show, says, “We thank the Empire State Potato Growers Association, all the agribusiness sponsors, and FFA leaders who make the annual Empire Farm Days prize giveaways and youth contests possible. The prize winners are always thrilled to receive the practical items they can put to use right away on their farms and the students can add their successful competition performances to their resumes.”
Planning for the Aug. 5-7, 2014 Empire Farm Days is already underway.
For more details, contact Empire Farm Days Manager Melanie Wickham, 877-697-7837, mwickham@empirefarmdays.com.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Empire Farm Days in Seneca Falls Continues Through Thursday
Empire Farm Days continues through Thursday at the Rodman Lott and Son Farm on Route 414, Seneca Falls.
The 80th anniversary of the Empire Farm Days is set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 7 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 8. Admission is free and parking is $10.
Here are some photos from the show, all taken by show director Melanie Wickham:
.jpg)
Equipment inspection at Empire Farm Days is always a highlight.
Craig Todd of Todd Farms trims this Boer goat’s hooves as part of the goat care demonstrations at Empire Farm Days
The 80th anniversary of the Empire Farm Days is set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 7 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 8. Admission is free and parking is $10.
Here are some photos from the show, all taken by show director Melanie Wickham:
.jpg)
This shows a live animal demonstration on how to safely handle cattle. It is one of the demonstrations at Empire Farm Days.
Empire Farm Days takes place on a working farm operated by three generations of the Rodman Lott Family in Seneca Falls.
Craig Todd of Todd Farms trims this Boer goat’s hooves as part of the goat care demonstrations at Empire Farm Days
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Empire Farm Days Set for Aug. 6-8 in Seneca Falls
 |
| Attendees watch a demo at Empire Farm Days |
The Northeast's biggest farm show -- complete with more than 600 exhibitors -- begins Tuesday, Aug. 6.
The 80th anniversary of the Empire Farm Days is set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 6 and 7 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 8. The event is at its regular spot, the Rodman Lott and Son Farms, 2973 State Route 414, Seneca Falls.
Admission is free and parking is $10.
Check out numerous displays of farm equipment, learn how to increase your dairy profits, learn how to keep safe on the farm, find out how wind energy can help the farm and sample New York cheeses.
Here's what else to expect:
** The 2013 Dairy Profit Seminars are focused on the next generation of young dairy operators, robotic milking technology, and how to measure, monitor and improve cow comfort. The free seminars start at 10:30 a.m. and are open to the public at the Empire Farm Days Dairy Seminar Center. The seminars are free and open to the public. Industry updates from the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council and the Beef Checkoff program, and a picnic lunch follow immediately.
** On Aug. 7, the 2013 class of Junior Dairy Leaders graduate with presentations of their experiences with the hands-on program for 16-to-19-year-old youth interested in learning about career opportunities in the dairy industry.
** Dairy operators interested in learning more about how to comply with farm worker housing requirements can take advantage of the new mini-seminars on farm labor offered by the state Department of Labor daily at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. State Agriculture Labor Specialists Parker Filer and Laura Tramontana also will discuss how to use forms developed specifically to assist agricultural employers in complying with New York’s Wage Theft Prevention Act.
** New product exhibits will feature everything from one-piece group hutches for calves and a natural fine-texture agricultural lime for balancing soil pH to cover crop seeders, large capacity mixing wagons, LED lighting, and the latest in smart remote control technology.
** Those interested in farm and home-size wind energy opportunities can see turbines on display and attend daily information presentations at the Wind Center.
** Cattle handlers will want to stop by the 11:30 a.m. daily demonstrations by Cornell University Beef Extension Specialist Mike Baker, who will be working with the latest equipment and demonstrating the farmer-developed Bud Box method for directing cattle into chutes and pens. The NY Beef Industry Center is also adding clipping demonstrations this year.
** The new Alpacas: From Start to Finish exhibit will have live animals, spinning and weaving demonstrations, and finished products made with the luxurious fiber.
** The three exciting Equine Center round pen presenters for 2013 are wild Mustang trainers Emma and Jack Minteer, draft breed horseman Dave Ayers, and natural horsemanship instructor Stasia Newell.
** McCadam Cheese in Chateaugay, Clinton County, will be available for tasting at the Agri-Mark booth as will samples of Cabot Cheese with its new brand logo recognizing its New York farm family owners.
** The Beikirch’s Outdoor Sporting Center is more than doubling in size with the latest sporting equipment and safety information for boating, fishing, and hunting enthusiasts.
** Popular returning exhibits at the 2013 Empire Farm Days include therapy dog Sparks demonstrating fire safety in the NYS Grange Family Center each morning, ag plastics recycling and goat care demonstrations, the FFA student tractor driving safety and welding contests, and the daily Old Iron tractor parade.
** New York Sea Grant and US Coast Guard Auxiliary will be in the farm pond demonstrating life jacket and canoe/kayak safety measures.
** The annual Ag Leadership luncheon Aug. 7 will recognize New York’s Agricultural Environmental Management Award and Empire State Potato Growers Scholarship winners, and provide a New York Farm Viability Institute update on cutting edge research taking place on New York farms.
For more information, go to www.empirefarmdays.com or contact Empire Farm Days Manager Melanie Wickham at (877) 697-7837 or mwickham@empirefarmdays.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)