During Dairy Day, Afton FFA members Lochlann N., Ayden O., Callie R., Cat Reeder, and Madison J., gave away free ice tea and lemonade, produce and face painting. (Submitted photo)

CHENANGO COUNTY — During the recent Dairy Day and Cornell Cooperative Extension’s (CCE) Open Farm Day, community members came together to partake in the free agricultural event.

Dairy Day was held at the Chenango County Fairgrounds, while eight local farms opened their gates for Open Farm Day, inviting visitors to tour and learn about their specific produce and livestock.

Open Farm Day farmers included Berry Brae Farm, Ryan's Yak Farm,Hillcrest Lavender Farm, Penwingle Farm, Fox Trail Farm, Cooks Maple Products, LLC, Mid York Distributors, and Gillette’s Maple Products and Farm.

 

Raffle drawings were held for those who visited multiple farm locations.

 

Chairman of Ag and Farmland Protection Board and Dairy Day committee member Terry Ives said it was a great day but due to the weather, not as many people came out.

 

"Not as many people visited but it was a little rainy and that could have had something to do with it," said Ives.

 

He said some of the kids tried milking with the milk bottles they had set up and there was also a lot of participation during the pedal tractor pull.

"We had that all set up in the barn and it was dry and went very well," Ives added. "We also had a nice group of 4-H displays and Habitat for Humanity did their Corn-hole fundraiser."

The Afton FFA was on hand, providing lemonade, free fruits and vegetables and offered face painting.

Dairy Day provided free milk and ice cream, a petting zoo, a cheese-making demonstration, a cow-milking contest, farm Olympics, a bale toss, pedal tractor pull and more.

Ives said Assemblymen Joseph Angelino and Chris Tague visited and enjoyed the event. 

"Due to the weather, we did close a little early, before the storm hit," said Ives.

"The Office of Emergency Management gave me a call with the weather warning, so we were able to plan for it."

He said they will be a follow up meeting to confirm if Dairy Day will be on the same day as Open Farm Day next year.

Fox Trail Farms owner Kirsten Spears said they had 24 visitors to their farm for blue berry picking.

"Despite the weather, I'm happy with our turnout." Spears said. "We only close our field for lightening, and during the event, we had to close it three times."

She said it was their first year joining the event and will be even more prepared for next year.

Berry Brae farmers Sarah and Ken Jensen enjoyed the day and gave tours of the farm to visitors.

"We welcomed just under 40 visitors throughout the day," said Sarah.

"While attendance was lower than we had hoped, everyone who came was genuinely interested in learning about the farm, and we had some wonderful conversations," she said.

She said their guided farm tours were the highlight as visitors enjoyed meeting the sheep and hearing about their regenerative grazing practices.

"Many people were fascinated by seeing our soap-making operation and learning how we turn our own pasture-raised lard into laundry soap and skincare products," Sarah added.

They considered the day a success and look forward to many of their Open Farm Day guests returning to build long-term relationships.

Businesses in participation with the event included Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE), Chenango County Historical Society and Museum, Kutik's Bees, and Friends of Rogers Environmental Center.

At Rogers Center, the Open Farm Day event, Educator and Communications Lead Ariah Mitchell said it was an excellent opportunity to experience maple operations outside of the regular season.

She said the Sugarshack, a heritage collaboration with Chenango County Historical Society, was open to the public to explore.

Mitchell said twenty visitors were logged in and were offered a taste of maple with syrup samples, plus attendees were given free fish food to use in the trout ponds.

"The best part of the day was the amazing curiosity  shown by visitors, from kids who loved interacting with the Indigenous maple sugaring method demonstration, to  the locals who hadn't yet had an  opportunity to see inside the Sugarshack," added Mitchell.

The Friends of Rogers plan to partake in Open Farm Day next  year to support Chenango County Agritourism, and to connect regional visitors with maple educational opportunities all year long.

Dairy Day gave a huge thank you to their sponsors which included White's Farm Supply, Victoria L. Gregory, Preferred Mutual Insurance Company, Lutz Feed Company, Inc., Sherburne Steel, Brenda Westcott, Dr. Robert Crandall, Chenango Therapeutics Farmer's Place, Tammy Leonard, Lathrop Meadows Farm, New York Pizzeria, Betsy Frank, and Rosario Baio, Charles J Husted, Inc., Curtis L. Bailey Financials, Bartles Pharmacy, and Peaceful By Nature Farm.

The first Dairy Day was held in June 1941, only to be discontinued due to the war. It was brought back in 2001 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the 1941 event.

According to the CCE website, Open Farm Day is a signature event of Cornell Cooperative Extension, and the Chenango association is proud to offer farms and the public the opportunity to participate in the event.

Months of planning and coordination go into making Open Farm Day a success, so that visitors have an engaging and educational experience while supporting local agriculture.

For more information on agricultural events in Chenango County, visit the Cornell Cooperative Extension website at ccechenango.org.