Happy National Milk Day!
Why this day isn't held during Dairy Month in June, I'm not sure.
But according to the National Day Calendar, the first day milk arrived by delivery in
bottles was on Jan. 11, 1878. National Milk Day commemorates this day
and the delivery of this important staple beverage in America.
Tops Friendly Markets will promote the New
York State Grown & Certified program to highlight farms that
qualify under the New York State Grown & Certified seal.
Tops
is the first grocery retailer to feature and market product grown by
New York farmers who adhere to the program’s requirements, including
verification of safe food handling practices and participation in
environmental sustainability programs.
Producst sold
under the state’s NYS Grown & Certified seal will be available at
more than 80 Tops stores in the Western New York and the Finger Lakes
regions. As the state continues to roll out the retail component of the
program, product will be available at additional
retailers.
“New York is
supporting locally-grown products and promoting healthy lifestyles by
connecting farm-fresh food with consumers across the state," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “Under the NYS Grown & Certified
program, Tops Friendly Markets will bring certified foods to local
communities, support our hard-working farms and provide nutritional
food options to New Yorkers statewide.”
A state Grown &
Certified pilot display was unveiled at a Tops store in Erie County Jan. 6 that features produce, including herbs, cabbage and acorn and
butternut squash from farms in the Western New York and Finger
Lakes regions.
Consumers will also find fruits and other vegetables
branded under the NYS Grown & Certified seal at participating Tops
stores. A total of 145 Tops stores across the state will begin promoting
NYS Grown & Certified products in the coming weeks.
The state Department of Agriculture & Markets is also
working with other retailers to market NYS Grown & Certified
products.
A NYS Grown &
Certified social media campaign has launched to further market New York
farms involved in the initiative and educate consumers on the value of
the program. Consumers can now follow NYS Grown & Certified
on Facebook,
Twitter and
Instagram.
Additionally,
several promotional videos were created to give consumers an inside look
at NYS Grown & Certified farms. The videos feature Satur Farms on
Long Island and Minkus Family Farms in the Hudson Valley.
They
are available by clicking https://www.facebook.com/NYScertified/videos/vb.1229590680433967/1255164281209940/?type=2&theater at this link and https://www.facebook.com/NYScertified/videos/vb.1229590680433967/1254963777896657/?type=2&theater at this link.
To highlight the
New York producers who meet program requirements, NYS Grown &
Certified is supported by a multi-pronged marketing campaign, including
on-product labels, promotional materials, website and social
media channels.
Cuomo launched the NYS Grown & Certified program in August 2016.
The program identifies and promotes New York producers who adhere to
New York’s food safety and environmental sustainability programs
and assures consumers that the food they are buying is local and
produced at a higher-standard.
It requires that producers be verified
for safe food handling practices through the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Good Agricultural Practices program (or an
equivalent program) and enroll in the state’s Agricultural Environmental
Management program.
The initiative was the focus of the state
Department of Agriculture and Markets’ exhibit at the New York Produce
Show in New York City in December, and the New York State Agricultural Society annual forum Jan. 5. It also will display at the Empire State Producers Expo Jan. 17-19 in Syracuse.
For more information on NYS Grown & Certified, go to http://certified.ny.gov/ this link.
Meeting next week on dairy issues, including low milk prices.
Go to http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news04/farmers-officials-to-discuss-milk-pricing-concerns-in-lowville-20170106 this link to check out a story about the meeting.
