Sundaes on the Farm Article
“Sundae on the Farm”- Farm Tours
Steve McDonald
4-H Youth Development Team Leader
Public is welcomed to come celebrate “June Dairy Month” with two farm tours sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Franklin County, Franklin County Farm Bureau, and Farm Service Agency. PAPAS Dairy is the site of our first tour on Sunday, June 14th followed with Tierney Farm Jerseys on Sunday, June 21st from 12:00 to 3:00pm each day.
New York ranks third in dairy producing states behind California and Wisconsin. Locally, Franklin County has a diversity of dairy farms; from very large dairies with thousands of cows to small, grass-based organic dairies and everything in between. According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture there are a total of 688 farms in Franklin County. Of those, 155 are dairy operations with a total of 14,500 milk cows.
All ages will enjoy seeing a bird’s eye view of functional farms in full operation. This wonderful educational opportunity highlights the region’s largest contributor of our local economy. Farmers in general are notorious for putting revenue back into their surrounding communities with the purchase of new equipment, supplies, building materials, repairs, employment opportunities, etc.
Just like every other industry, so has the dairy industry changed. In an effort to combat the fluctuating milk prices herd sizes have increased. With the help of modern research from institutions like Cornell University and Miner Institute, dairy farmers can maximize production, quality, and milk components with the implementation of “best practices”. These include but are not limited to the following; cow comfort, improved genetics, harvesting top quality feed, and maintaining quality control measures that ensure a healthy environment. Since the 1950’s the U.S. trend continues to show a decline in the total number of dairy cows with a steady increase in total milk production. Evidence that cows and farmers are becoming more efficient.
Using biosecurity practices, families will be able to see firsthand all aspects of the dairy operation including; feeding, calf and heifer rearing facilities, milking parlors, and maternity housing. Specialist in the dairy field will facilitate tours including; Kim Morrill- CCE Regional Dairy Specialist, Kitty O’Neil- CCE Regional Agronomist, Rick LeVitre- CCE Ag Team Leader/ ED, Harry Fefee- CCE Ag Outreach Educator, Jennifer Tierney- Franklin County Farm Services ED, Pete Hagar- Clinton County Soil & Water District Manager, Dr. Pfaff- North Star Veterinarian, Elizbeth Trombly Couillard- Dundee Feeds/Farm Bureau, and more.
Last updated July 26, 2019