Empire State Farming

Friday, March 11, 2016

Agri-Mark to Invest About $30M in Franklin County Cheese Facility

From Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office:

Dairy cooperative Agri-Mark will invest nearly $30 million to expand its cheese manufacturing facility in Franklin County and retain 106 jobs in the North Country.

The expansion will enable Agri-Mark to continue to thrive and support future generations of New York dairy farmers.

"Agri-Mark's investment to expand and modernize its Chateaugay facility is a win-win for the Upstate economic," said Howard Zemsky, Empire State Development president, chief executive officer and commissioner.

The expansion and restoration of Agri-Mark's Chateaugay facility involves rebuilding the current 110,641-square-foot manufacturing facility, reengineering the layout of the facility adn purchasing new machinery and other equipment.

Empire State Development will support the dairy co-op with up to $6 million, including $4 million in Economic Transformation Program money to retain 106 full-time jobs and modernize the Chateaugay operations.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Cortland County Horses Confirmed with Equine Infectious Anemia

This is from the New York Horse Council:

On March 4, the state Department of Agriculture and Markets Division of Animal Industry confirmed Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) in five horses on a Cortland County farm.

Ten draft and buggy horses reside on the farm. All horses have been quarantined and an investigation is ongoing. The Division of Animal Industry will continue updates as needed.

The following key points pertain to New York’s law for equine infectious anemia.

** All horses must have a negative EIA test in the 12 months preceding a change in ownership.
** All horses being imported into New York for purposes other than movement to slaughter must accompanied by a CVI and a negative EIA test in the preceding 12 months.
** All horses transported on a public road in New York must have had a negative EIA test in the current or previous calendar year.

Wisconsin Cheese Wins World Championship

Well, it's not a New York cheese, but at least now a U.S. cheese has won the world cheese championship.

Go to http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/a-wisconsin-cheese-wins-the-world-championship-cheese-contest/article_f0067c29-d83c-533f-a9af-f562297eaf0b.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook to check out the story.

Other U.S. cheeses to make the top 16 in the judging were:

Cellars of Jasper Hill in Vermont with a Winnimere, a smear ripened soft cheese.
Central Coast Creamery in California with a Ewenique, a soft & semi-soft sheep's milk cheese.
Uplands Cheese in Dodgeville with an Extra Aged Pleasant Ridge Reserve, a hard cheese.