N.Y. state fair butter sculpture recycled into energy at farm

The 56th Annual Butter Sculpture at the New York State Fair has come down, but it will not be wasted: Jack Klapper, co-owner of Noblehurst Farms, will recycle the butter in the farm’s methane digester and turn it into renewable energy.

American Dairy Association North East, in conjunction with Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners and Noblehurst Farms, dismantled the 800-pound sculpture at the New York State Fairgrounds. Ultimately, the butter — which was provided by O-AT-KA Milk Products in Batavia, New York, and was unsuitable for sale or consumption for a variety of reasons — will return to Western New York, less than 15 miles away from where it was originally produced, being recycled at the local dairy farm.

Noblehurst Farms in Pavilion will combine the butter with other food waste from local food manufacturers and educational institutions and run it through the farm’s digester, converting it into energy. The digester breaks down the material and creates enough electricity to power the farm, the farm’s on-site creamery, and about 350 homes for a year. Specifically, the butter from the Butter Sculpture alone will be able to power one house for three days.

“We are honored to be recycling the New York State Fair Butter Sculpture for the ninth consecutive year,” Klapper said. “We will mix the butter with other food waste and convert it to energy over the course of about 28 days. That energy will be turned into electricity which will power homes in the local community.”

In recent years, Noblehurst Farms has been recognized nationally for achievements in sustainability and community partnerships to divert food waste from local landfills. The result of Noblehurst’s efforts have led to diverting 200 tons of food waste from local landfills on a weekly basis.

“Our awareness of the role that dairy farmers are playing in addressing the global food waste problem has definitely heightened,” said Klapper. “We are hopeful that our innovative food waste reduction practices will bring additional value as New York State focuses on reducing methane and sequestering carbon in the coming years.”

This year’s sculpture, “Dairy: Good for you. Good for the planet.” showed 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.

»Related: Farm Babe: Boxler Dairy recycles manure to help power homes