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The 2024 Great New York State Fair has a full itinerary of events and educational opportunities for fairgoers to celebrate New York’s diverse dairy industry on Thursday as part of Dairy Day.
Now in its 47th year, this annual tradition features a variety of activities to educate fairgoers about the state’s largest agricultural sector, recognize New York’s top dairy farmers and processors, and sample the very best of New York dairy.
Every year, Dairy Day features several events and activities to highlight New York State’s dairy industry, and this year is no exception. Dairy Day kicks off in Daniella’s Seafood and Pasta House with the annual Dairy Day Breakfast, which recognizes honorees with the Dairy of Distinction Awards, the PRO-DAIRY Service Awards, and the winners of the New York State Dairy Products Competition. Then, fairgoers can check out the winners of the competition in a slideshow presentation in the Dairy Products Building near the Butter Sculpture.
At 10:30 a.m. at the Chevy Court Pavilion, media teams from Central New York will “shake it up” in a competition to see who can create the best-looking and most delectable milkshake in the Undeniably Dairy Shake-Off Milkshake Contest. State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball will be on hand to help with judging of the winning milkshake.
While they’re in The Dairy Products Building, fairgoers are encouraged to admire the Butter Sculpture, sculpted by artists Jim Victor and Marie Pelton of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, who constructed the sculpture using more than 800 pounds of butter from O-AT-KA Milk Products in Batavia, New York.
This year’s theme is “Dairy: Good for you. Good for the Planet.” It depicts a family relaxing on the bank of a river on one side while showing a dairy farmer planting a tree on the other side, highlighting one of the many ways dairy farmers protect the planet while producing nutritious milk. Now in its 56th year, The Butter Sculpture, presented by American Dairy Association North East, was revealed on August 20, the day before The Fair officially opened to the public. Sponsored by Wegmans Food Markets Inc., it will be on display through the fair.
“What better way to highlight our world class dairy industry and bring fairgoers a little closer to the dairy community than a full slate of events and educational outreach at The Great New York State Fair,” Ball said. “Dairy Day gives us all the perfect opportunity to sample New York’s finest milk, ice cream, cheese, and so much more, and learn more about how our milk is produced and processed, from farm to table. We hope fairgoers will join us for a fantastic day at the Fair on Dairy Day and help us raise a glass of milk in honor of this incredible industry.”
Fairgoers are also encouraged to participate in a fun, interactive social media exercise where they can see what they’d look like as a Butter Sculpture. By scanning a QR code, which can be found on the bottom of the Fair Map and on signage throughout The Dairy Products Building, fairgoers can cue up a “Butterizer” filter, which will transform their face into a masterpiece sculpted from butter. Fairgoers can then share the results on social media using the hashtags, #NYSFair and #ButterizeMe.
This year, the fair features a never-before-seen exhibit as the New York Animal Agriculture Coalition debuts the Mobile Dairy Experience — a 53-foot immersive educational experience that demonstrates the processes behind dairy production, the importance of environmental stewardship in agriculture, the economic impact of the dairy industry, and so much more. The Mobile Dairy Experience is open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and is located next to the Dairy Cow Birthing Center.
Fair Director Julie LaFave said, “Dairy Day is the perfect opportunity for the fair to highlight the importance of New York’s largest agricultural sector and educate fairgoers on how dairy products that we use daily find their way to our tables. From milkshake contests to the state-of-the-art, one-of-a-kind Mobile Dairy Experience, Dairy Day is a celebration of our dairy producers and processors, and we’re thrilled to showcase their work.”
Fairgoers visiting the Dairy Products Building will also be able to sample and purchase a variety of cheeses from across the State, as well as products from NYS Grown & Certified processors. Fairgoers will also have the chance to meet the State and county Dairy Ambassadors and buy a cup of perfectly chilled 25-cent white or chocolate milk at the Milk Bar, a beloved tradition at the New York State Fair.
Run by Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Milk Bar will serve white and chocolate milk, from Upstate Farms Dairy, on tap every day during the Fair. On the final weekend of the fair, strawberry milk will be available for the fourth year in a row.
This year marks the 11th anniversary of another fan favorite activity at the Fair: the Dairy Cow Birthing Center, where visitors can learn more about the dairy industry by watching live births of baby cows.
More than 200 farmers, veterinarians, business representatives, and agricultural students volunteer to assist with the births and explain the process to the public. The exhibit also offers calves for petting and educational exhibits about the dairy industry. The Dairy Cow Birthing Center is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The Dairy Cow Birthing Center also offers a live web stream, and a text messaging option to be notified when a birth is about to happen.
