Summer 2021

The
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Inside This
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Celebrate:

AGRICULTURAL NEWS & VIEWS FROM THE GLOW REGION

2 • June 2021
Family farms dominate ag landscape
GLOW REGION: Counties rank among top producers in both state and nation
By KORI SCIANDRA and BEN BEAGLE
news@batavianews.com
Family farms comprise 96%
of all U.S. farms, according to
data from the 2017 Census of
Agriculture Farm Typology re-
port released earlier this year.
The report, which includes
county-level data, shows that
the four-county GLOW region
reflects the national trend in
farm ownership, with 96%,
or 2,278 of the region’s 2,373
farms classified as family
owned.
The report defines a “fam-
ily farm” as any farm where
the majority of the business
is owned by the producer and
individuals related to the pro-
ducer.
In the GLOW region, family
farms account for 97% of the
farms in Genesee County, or
470 out of 485; in Livingston
County, 96% of farms, or 635
Cows are seen in a barn at Mulligan Farm in Avon. The farm is like
many in the four-county GLOW region in that it is a family farm,
that has been in the same family for generations.
out of 661, are family owned;
Wyoming County is also at
96%, with 700 out of 729 farms
family owned; and in Orleans
County, 95% or 473 out of 498
Tractor Factor Summer 2021
AMERICAN DAIRY ASSOCIATION NORTH EAST
farms are family owned, ac-
cording to the typology report.
On a national level, fami-
ly-owned farms account for
87% of land in farms, and 82%
of the value of all agricultur-
al products, according to the
report released by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s
National Agricultural Statistics
Service.
“Agriculture certainly is an
important economic compo-
nent in Wyoming County’s
economy,” said Jim Pierce, ex-
ecutive director for Wyoming
County Economic Develop-
ment.
Key findings in 2017 Census
of Agriculture Farm Typolo-
gy report, which was released
at the end of January, showed
farm specialties vary through-
out the nation by farm size.
The majority of small fami-
ly farms specialize in cattle
or hay and forage products.
While more than half of mid-
size farms specialize in grains
and oilseeds.
Russel Klein, of the Wyo-
ming County Farm Bureau.
said a majority of farms in Wy-
oming County are dairy, “fol-
lowed by locally grown grain
crop operations (growing soy-
beans/corn/wheat/oats, etc.)
“But keep in mind there
are plenty of different types of
farms here, including but not
limited to dairy, field crops,
potatoes and vegetable grow-
ers, fruit orchards, bee keep-
ers, chicken, pig, and horse
farms... the list can get fairly
long,” Klein said.
The GLOW region rep-
resents some of the state’s –
and the nation’s – top produc-
ers.
Wyoming County is the
state’s top producer of milk
from cows, and cattle and
calves, which helped the coun-
ty become the state leader in
See FARMS T3

Farms
From T2
livestock, poultry and prod-
ucts, and total market value
of agricultural products sold,
at $307.5 million. Wyoming
County ranks among the top
2% of milk producing counties
nationwide and also among
the top 5% of vegetable pro-
ducers.
Milk is the top product
among farmers in Genesee
and Livingston counties,
which both rank among the
top 4% nationwide. Gene-
see County also ranks high in
vegetable production, top 3%,
while Livingston is among that
top 3% nationally in sheep and
goats.
Genesee County is known
for dairy and vegetables – it is
the state’s top vegetable pro-
ducers and fifth in milk, ac-
cording to the Ag Report, but
there are also a lot of grains
such as corn, soy, wheat and
malting barley, said Emmaline
Long, Genesee County Farm
Bureau board member.
Genesee County ranks in
the top five in New York for
Tractor Factor Summer 2021 June 2021 • 3
vegetables, including pota- ranks third in the state and at $183,695,000, rank ninth in 80,000 farms. While large and
toes, poultry and eggs, cattle
and calves and is seventh in
provides 4% of the state’s ag-
ricultural sales. Genesee also
the state and in the top 20%
nationally. Orleans County’s
midsize family farms experi-
enced steeper declines, de-
grains, beans and peas, ac- ranks among the top 13% na- sales of $155,282,000, are 14th creasing by 13 percent and 8
cording to the Ag Report. tionally. in the state and in the top 24% percent. Small family farms
Livingston County is the Livingston and Orleans nationwide. only had a 3 percent decline.
states top producers of gains, counties both contribute The Ag Report showed the “Once again almost all
beans and peas; second in about 3% each of the state’s number of family farms de- farms are family owned. But,
sheep and goats, and fourth in total agricultural sales. In Liv- creased by 4 percent since
aquaculture. It is also seventh See FARMS T4
ingston County, sales values 2012. This included almost
in milk from cows and ninth in
hogs and pigs.
Orleans County ranks highly
in vegetable and fruit produc-
tion, both among the top 3%
nationally. Among New York
farms, Orleans County is sec-
ond in vegetables, and third in
fruits and berries, and grains,
beans and peas; and fourth in
nursery, greenhouse and sod.
Wyoming County also ranks
fifth in vegetables, eighth in
grains, beans and peas; and
ninth in sheep and goats.
The total value of agricultur-
al sales from Wyoming County
is $307,521,000, the highest in
the state and equals 6% of all
agriculture sales in New York.
Wyoming County is among the
top 8 percent of counties pro-
ducing agricultural crops in
the country.
Genesee County, with agri-
cultural sales of $234,935,00,
4 • June 2021
Farms
From T3
there is absolutely an attrition
rate. Less and less farms....
generally, smaller family farms
are purchased by neighbors or
other family owned farms so
the number of acres farmed
doesn’t really change,” said
Klein, of the Wyoming County
Farm Bureau. “There are just
less farms doing more work.”
The Ag Report indicated
that “small family farm pro-
ducers are more likely to be
women, age 65 or older, and
report being Hispanic origin or
race other than white. They are
also more likely to be new and
beginning farmers (farmed
10 years or less) and to report
having military service.”
Long noted the majority of
Genesee County farm owners
are typically male.
“Typical age is hard to pin-
point. It is definitely aging,
but there is a new generation
of families coming in on farm-
ing across the Country,” said
Long.
Wyoming County demo-
graphics are comparable to
Genesee County 1,359 produc-
ers in Wyoming County, 905
are male, and 454 are female,
which translates to one-third
being female. The average
age is 55 while statistics show
additional demographics in-
clude 177 who are 35 or young-
er, 844 range in age from 36 to
64, and 338 are 65 or older.
Among the other GLOW
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‘ Agriculture certainly is an important economic
component in Wyoming County’s economy.
JIM PIERCE
executive director, Wyoming County Economic Development
counties:
n Genesee County: Of the
817 producers, 554 are male,
and 263 female. Most farm-
ers, 498, are between 35 and
64 years old, with 259 age 65 or
older, and 60 younger than 35.
n Livingston County: Of the
1,134 producers, 710 are male,
and 424 female. Most farmers,
731, are between 35 and 64
years old, with 318 age 65 or
older, and 85 younger than 35.
n Orleans County: Of the
829 producers, 541 are male,
and 288 female. Most farm-
ers, 496, are between 35 and
64 years old, with 214 age 65
or older, and 119 younger than
35.
As the No. 1 industry in Gen-
esee County, agriculture plays
a significant role in the coun-
ty’s success. “I believe farms
have a significant impact on
the county. Collectively, farms
are the largest landowner and
thus one of the largest taxpay-
ers in the county,” said Long.
“Many have leadership roles in
town and county governments
and school boards.”
While the Ag Report allows
the agricultural industry to
“more meaningfully explore
the demographics of who is
farming” nationwide, it’s al-
so important to recognize the
Celebrating Over
42 Years of Business
Cell: 585.721.8468
Tractor Factor Summer 2021
’
value and importance of local
farming within our communi-
ties.”
Farming is a big economic
player in Wyoming County,
said Joan Sinclair Petzen, ag-
riculture department program
leader for Wyoming County
Cornell Cooperative Exten-
sion.
“Not only do farms make
a significant contribution to
the local economy, but so do
both the businesses that sup-
ply these farms. And since the
majority are selling commod-
ity-type products, the busi-
nesses then further process
and distribute the farm prod-
ucts produced here,” Pet-
zen said. “This has an impact
both within the County and
throughout the Western and
Finger Lakes Regions of New
York, ... So, farming and dairy
are critical to the economy of
Wyoming County and the sur-
rounding communities.”
Grants to help farmers protect water
Up to $13 million is available
to support agricultural water
quality conservation projects
across New York state.
servation Districts can apply on
behalf of farmers for the com-
petitive grant program, which
is funded through the New York
The Agricultural Non-point State Environmental Protection
Source Abatement and Con- Fund. Applications are available
trol program provides funding on the state Department of Ag-
to projects that focus on either riculture’s website,; project pro-
environmental planning or im- posals due at 4:30 p.m. June 28.
plementing best management “Our farmers care deeply for
practices to protect watersheds. New York’s natural resources,
The program prioritizes projects including our community wa-
that both protect water quality terways,” New York State Soil
and offer other environmental and Water Conservation Com-
benefits, such as carbon seques- mittee Chairman Dale Stein of
tration, habitat development, Le Roy said. “This funding will
and improved soil health. Past help them continue to be envi-
projects include conservation ronmental leaders, stewarding
measures such as nutrient man- their land and water through
agement through manure stor- best management practices that
age, vegetative buffers along conserve water quality and en-
streams, and cover crops. sure the protection of the envi-
County Soil and Water Con- ronment for future generations.”
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Silver Meadows ensure farming future
562 acres of prime farmland protected in Castile, Perry
Russ Klein and his parents
Stanley and Michele Klein
worked with Genesee Valley
Conservancy to ensure their
fourth-generation family
farm remains in agriculture.
Four conservation ease-
ments were placed on lands
worked by Silver Meadows
Farm, 4136 West Lake Rd.,
Silver Springs.
The Genesee Valley Con-
servancy worked with the
farm to preserved farmland
in Castile and Perry will pro-
tect 562 highly productive
Genesee Valley acres from
the threat of subdivision and
development forever!
REBECCA DROBIS PHOTOGRAPH VIA THE AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST
Protected farmland belong to Silver Meadow Farm as it overlooks
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Tractor Factor Summer 2021 June 2021 • 5
ule. Some will be milked fre-
Investing in the future
The Kleins recently invest-
quently throughout the day,
other cows just once. The
Prime soils All in the family ed in a robotic milking parlor system allows cows to make
to increase the efficiency the decision themselves on
The quality of this farm- These lands were first
of the farm and improve when to be milked, improv-
land is outstanding, accord- worked by the Klein family
cow-comfort. Roughly half ing their quality of life and
ing to the Genesee Valley starting in 1953 when John
and Bernince Klein pur- of the herd uses this new comfort on the farm.
Conservancy.
More than 50% of these chased lands with their son, system, which allows cows to The robotic milking barn
lands are classified as U.S. Ron, and his wife Jackie. be milked when they choose,
See SILVER T6
Department of Agriculture These lands are now not based on a rigid sched-
Prime soil, the most produc- worked by Ron and Jackie’s
tive soils around. An addi- son. Stanley. and his wife,
tional 30% of these acres are Michele. Stanley and Mi-
classified as New York State chele’s son, Russ, joined
important soils. the farm in 2006 and is a
This was a key factor that part-owner. He is the fourth
made Silver Meadows Farm generation to own and work
the number one ranked farm these lands.
in Wyoming County during Together, the father-son
the county’s selection pro- team of Stanley and Russ run
cess, the Conservancy said. this 200-cow dairy opera-
tion that produces milk and
grows a variety of crops in-
cluding all their dairy forag-
es, wheat and oats, corn and
corn grain, hay, and alfalfa.
These crops are used on
their farm and sold to neigh-
boring farms and local feed
mills.
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6 • June 2021
Silver
From T5
also requires less manage-
ment and oversight from the
farmers, which helps keep
costs down and frees up time
for their many other duties
on the farm.
What else is on-tap?
In addition to that glass
of milk, the Kleins produce
maple syrup from the trees
in the hills overlooking Silver
Lake. A reverse osmosis unit
removes some of the water
before the sap is transferred
into a 24-square-foot evap-
orator, and then is boiled
down the rest of the way to
make maple syrup. The farm
sells its maple syrup from the
Klein house and also in bulk
to a few local businesses.
In conjunction with pro-
ducing syrup, the farm uses
a forest management plan
to help manage its woodlots
and commercial harvests.
Sunflower field
Those who have driven
REBECCA DROBIS PHOTOGRAPH VIA THE AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST
Members of the Klein Family pose for a photograph at Silver
Meadows Farm in Silver Springs are shown in a 2018 photograph.
around Silver Lake in the
late summer are sure to have
seen Russ’s nieces’ flow-
er business — Silver Lake
Sunnies. The roadside farm
stand operates from late
June through early Septem-
ber and sits in front of a field
of sunflowers.
In addition to the quality
soils protected by this proj-
ect, more than four miles
of scenic road frontage are
protected, helping to main-
tain the rural character and
scenic views that are so cher-
Tractor Factor Summer 2021
the shoreline of the lake, the vation easements accepted
Village of Perry relies on the
lake water for its drinking
by the Conservancy overall.
It also includes the second
water source. Nearly 4,000 conservation easement in
residents rely on these wa- the Town of Castile, and the
ters. The farm has also pro- fifth conservation easement
tected lands further from the in the Town of Perry.
lakeshore along the Silver
Lake Inlet, another import-
How it happened
ant means by which water In 2018, the Kleins attend-
filters into the lake. ed a farmland protection
By protecting land and workshop hosted by the Wy-
the natural water filtration oming County Agricultural
system it provides, the costs and Farmland Protection
and chemicals used to treat Board and Genesee Valley
water by the Village can be Conservancy to learn about
reduced.
conservation easements and
Community impact the New York State grant
program that funds these
ished in Wyoming County. This project adds the 89th,
90th, 91st, and 92nd conser- See SILVER T7
Silver Lake protected
Undeveloped lands
around Silver Lake are rare.
Of the 7.4 miles of shore-
line on Silver Lake, just two
non-residential unprotect-
ed parcels exist: one of those
two undeveloped parcels is 84 Avon-Geneseo Rd. Geneseo, NY 14454
now protected as part of this Cell: 585-750-3320
project, the Conservancy Office: 585-243-2643
Fax: 585-243-1838
said.
In addition to the scenic alanscole@abcolerealestate.com Alan S. Cole
benefits of open space and www.abcolerealestate.com
Lic. R.E. Salesperson
585-750-3320
undeveloped lands along
 Tractor Factor Summer 2021 June 2021 • 7

has to offer, the Conservancy County Agricultural and tion of 21,945 acres. potential public nature pre-
Silver said.
During the 2018 local
Farmland Protection Board,
Town of Castile, Town of
For more information serve, should contact Gen-
esee Valley Conservancy for
From T6 ranking, Silver Meadows Perry, and New York State Landowners in the Gene- more information. The Con-
Farm received the top rank- Department of Agriculture see River watershed interest- servancy may be reached by
efforts. ing of all applicants. The and Markets. ed in pursuing conservation calling (585) 243-2190, and
The family decided to pur- project was subsequently To-date, the collabora- options for their property, online at https://www.gene-
sue the program and applied awarded funding by New tive effort between Genesee be it farmland, habitat, or seevalleyconservancy.org/.
to the local Wyoming County York State and it’s land pro- Valley Conservancy and
selection process. This pro- tection project began. local partners has resulted
cess pre-ranks interested This project was the result in more than $20 million
farms so that the lengthy and of a collaboration between invested in protecting more
competitive grant applica- Genesee Valley Conservan- than 11,809 acres of some of
tions submitted to New York cy, Wyoming County Board the state’s most productive Lawn Care & Mowing
State are the best the region of Supervisors, Wyoming agricultural lands in the Gen- Trees & Shrubs • Walkways • Retaining Walls
esee Valley.
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This project was support-
ed by the Wyoming County
Agricultural & Farmland Pro-
tection Board and the towns
of Castile and Perry. Both
municipalities recognize
highly productive farmland FREE Estimates
is critical to the local econo- Fully Insured
my and the economic future
of the region.
Genesee Valley Conser- 81 Lake St., LeRoy
vancy works throughout the We delivery topsoil,
GENESEE VALLEY CONSERVANCY PHOTOGRAPH Genesee River watershed to stone & mulch.
A sunflower stand operated by Harley Jean Wolfanger and Reilly protect high quality habitat,
Wolfanger is seen along West Lake Road in Silver Springs. The open space and farmland for 768-6578
roadside farm stand operates from late June through early the community. The Conser-
September and sits in front of a field of sunflowers. vancy oversees the protec-
8 • June 2021
Crop scouts help combat pests
By Jodi Putman
Cornell Cooperative Extension
Field monitoring, or scout-
ing, is the backbone of all pest
management programs.
Detailed assessments of
pest populations must be ob-
tained before pest control
decisions can be made. It is
important to have thorough
knowledge of pest and crop bi-
ology, pest identification and
habits, correct sampling meth-
ods, and economic thresholds
(when available).
The objective of scouting is
to provide a complete, accu-
rate and unbiased assessment
of pest populations. The field
scout is the direct link between
the consultant and the grower.
Many growers and consul-
tants act as the field scout on
farms throughout western
New York. Through the im-
provement of crop genetics
and pesticide options, the
knowledge needed to imple-
ment an integrated pest man-
agement plan on farms has
declined. An example of this
would be the introduction
of glyphosate (Roundup) in
the mid-1990s, which has de-
creased our need for precise
and accurate weed identifi-
cation. However, with herbi-
cide resistance being a major
problem in the United States,
there’s a severe need for prop-
er training on correct weed
identification and manage-
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ment options in our crop pro-
duction systems in New York.
A systematic approach to
troubleshooting can help pre-
vent the bias of only looking
for the familiar and preventing
the investigative process. For
the novice, troubleshooting
can be intimidating in the ab-
sence of a systematic plan.
Troubleshooting
crop problems
Here are a few steps to help
implement a systematic ap-
proach when troubleshooting
field crop problems:
1. Determine plant stage of
development and variety
2. Identify all symptoms on
the leaves, stem, roots, and
fruit, and inside the stem and
root.
3. Estimate the percentage
of plants damaged in the af-
fected area of the field.
4. Determine the field dis-
tribution or try to identify the
pattern of the problem in the
field.
5. Evaluate whether weeds
in the field (and borders) share
similar symptoms.
6. Determine the history of
the problem, which often pro-
vides the foundation for accu-
rate diagnosis (or the elimina-
tion of other potential causes).
Several Land Grant Uni-
versities across the United
States host an agronomy scout
school that provides entry-lev-
Est. 1991
Tractor Factor Summer 2021
el crop scouts, growers, and
agriculture industry personnel
(i.e. non-CCA’s with limited or
no crop scouting experience,
or serve as a refresher) with an
overview of the fundamentals
necessary for scouting in soy-
beans, corn, forages, and small
grains. Proper crop scouting
provides invaluable informa-
tion growers can use to make
informed decisions to protect
yield and quality in their fields.
Getting that information re-
quires a plan for how and
when to monitor your fields.
The Northwest New York and
Southwest New York regional
extension Field Crop Special- CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION NWNY TEAM PHOTOGRAPH
ists are teaming up to bring the Jodi Putman, a field crops specialist with Cornell Cooperative
region’s first New York State Extension Northwest New York Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops
Agronomy Scout School. Stay Program, checks black cutworm traps.
tuned for future announce-
ments of when and where this
training will take place.
Jodi Putman has been a field
crops specialist with the Cornell
Cooperative Extension Northwest
New York Dairy, Livestock, and
84 Avon Geneseo Rd.,
Field Crops Program for the past Geneseo, NY 14454
3 years.
Cell: 585-737-7420
This article was originally pub- Office: 585-243-2643
lished in the April 2021 issue of Ag Fax: 585-243-1838 John Wallin
Focus, a monthly publication of jdw3175@rochester.rr.com Assoc. Broker
the NWNY Dairy, Livestock & Field www.abcolerealestate.com 585-737-7420
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 Tractor Factor Summer 2021 June 2021 • 9

Cornell experts advocate for ag diversity, food security

By James Dean
Cornell University News
Only about 1% of New York
state’s nearly 58,000 farm own-
ers identify as Hispanic or Lat-
inx, according to the Census of
Agriculture, despite more than
80,000 such employees provid-
ing an essential backbone to the
state’s farm sector.
“They’re highly experienced,
have managed large farms, have
all sorts of skills, and most plan to
spend a lifetime in agriculture,”
Anu Rangarajan, director of the
Cornell Small Farms Program in
the College of Agriculture and
Life Sciences, testified during a
recent New York State Senate
hearing. “And yet few have tran-
sitioned to farm ownership.”
Rangarajan was one of a
group of Cornell Cooperative
Extension and faculty experts
who provided insights during
the April 13 hearing focused on
opportunities to diversify agri-
culture and address food justice.
The hearing was hosted jointly
by the Committees on Agricul-
ture, Labor and Social Services.
“We can’t address food in-
security without looking at our
food systems as a whole,” said
Sen. Michelle Hinchey, chair of
the agriculture committee. “We
need to work to make sure that
our agriculture sector is as di-
verse as the people it’s feeding.”
Compared with the rough-
ly 600 Hispanic or Latinx farm
owners, the state counts just 139
who are Black, with less than 2%
overall identifying as people of
color, the hearing highlighted.
Rangarajan expressed ap-
preciation for first-time state
support in 2021-22 for Cornell’s
Equitable Farm Futures Initia-
tive, which will expand efforts
to foster diversity in the farming
community. Those efforts in-
clude the Labor Ready project’s
master class program, which
helps Spanish-speaking farm-
ers and employees learn English
and strengthen management
and financial skills.
Silvia Rios Reyes, a graduate
of the program, told senators
the master class had helped her
manage the books and employ-
ees at her family’s apple orchard
in Albion, Orleans County.
“It’s a very good opportunity,”
Reyes said. “I learned a lot.”
Mario Miranda Sazo, fruit
extension specialist with CCE’s
Lake Ontario Fruit Program, said
more are ready to follow Reyes’
example, finding opportunities
when older New York farmers
retire without children who want
to take over the business.
“But they need the training,”
Miranda Sazo said. “They need
the same kind of training that we
have been providing to the com-
mercial fruit growers through
the traditional Cornell Cooper-
ative Extension programming.”
The master classes are just
one example, Rangarajan said,
of how the state must pivot to
meet the unique needs of diverse
farmers. “If we are truly com-
mitted to an agriculture that up-
holds diversity as a core value,”
she said, “a systemic change is
needed in how we think about
agricultural development.”
Roger Figueroa, assistant
professor in the Division of Nu-
tritional Sciences, in the College
of Human Ecology, framed food
insecurity as a global issue exac-
erbated by the pandemic, which
has disproportionately affected
minority populations.
Figueroa said 1 in 5 Black and
Hispanic households with chil-
dren is food insecure or food
insufficient, and has faced addi-
tional barriers during the pan-
demic due to lost jobs, reduced
access to school meals and the
challenges of serving as essential
workers. “It’s time to think about
in what ways we can really make
sustainable changes,” he said.
David Just, a professor in the
Charles H. Dyson School of Ap-
plied Economics and Manage-
ment, discussed findings from
a recent survey of food banks,
which were flooded with new
demand during the pandemic.
Average food distribution
by weight increased by 25%, he
said, but it wasn’t easy to predict
where acute needs would be.
Strategies that might help
governments and food assis-
tance providers better predict
shortages, including mining in-
ternet search data; tracking the
intent of businesses to lay off
workers or reduce hours; track-
ing 211 calls and government
contacts; partnering with food
banks; and developing an app
similar to COVID Alert NY, used
for contact tracing.
“Future food security emer-
gencies could be addressed
more rapidly, more effectively
and more efficiently,” Just said,
“if we were able to implement a
comprehensive system to track
food insecurity indicators at a lo-
cal level, and in real time.”
Judson Reid, a specialist with
CCE’s Cornell Vegetable Pro-
gram, discussed how urban
and rural farming could help
refugees settle and integrate in
the state, and produce cultur-
ally relevant foods that might
otherwise not be available to
their communities. Reid said ac-
cess to professional translators
would help CCE support such
programs, citing the example of
an urban farm run by Journey’s
84 Avon-Geneseo Rd. Geneseo, NY 14454
Cell: 585-747-2108
Office: 585-243-2643
Fax: 585-243-1838
marie@abcolerealestate.com
www.abcolerealestate.com
End Refugee Services in Buffalo,
where farmers have come from
Afghanistan, the Democratic Re-
public of Congo and Nepal.
Dean Koyanagi and Nina
Saeli, veterans project associ-
ates with Cornell Small Farms,
discussed opportunities for vet-
erans – who are becoming in-
creasingly diverse – to transition
to farming. Providing veterans
pathways to agriculture requires
a variety of approaches, said
Koyanagi, a former Marine, cit-
ing as one example workshops
the Farm Ops project conducted
with Rise and Root Farm in Or-
ange County that planted crops
destined for local food banks.
Said Saeli, a retired Army ma-
jor: “We tell them, ‘You joined
the military to serve your coun-
try, but you can become a farmer
to serve your community.’”
Marie Beikirch
Lic. R.E. Salesperson
585-747-2108

Lamb Farms, Inc

585-948-5777
lambfarmsinc.net
lambfarms@hotmail.com
77 Years in Business “It’s What We Do”
Trusted. Reliable.
Professional.
Richard Wendt, President
RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL • AGRICULTURAL Fully Insured & Free Estimates

A New York leader in quality 128 Cedar St. Batavia, NY • 585-343-2400 / 585-356-4300
milk production and ag innovation RAHAITZ.COM | sales@rahaitzcoinc.com
10 • June 2021
Where your milk comes from and more facts for ‘Dairy Month’
New York Animal Agriculture
Coalition
Join us in celebrating our
industry, our heritage, and
our passion by enjoying your
favorite dairy products during
June Dairy Month.
Whether it’s a container of
Greek-style yogurt, a slice of
extra sharp Cheddar cheese, a
double-dipped ice cream cone
or a tall glass of milk – every
purchase helps support our
family business.
Where your milk is from
You can be sure you are sup-
porting New York dairy farms
by looking for the printed code
that typically appears near the
top or on the lid of each dairy
product’s container.
The code will represent the
state and plant in which the
product was made. The first
two numbers are the state
(New York’s code is number
36). The numbers that follow
signify the processing plant in
which the product was made.
Some common codes in the
GLOW region include 36-5056
(O-At-Ka Milk Products Coop),
36-110 (Upstate Niagara) and
36-517 (Upstate Farms).
To find the location for
other codes us the “Finding
My Code” feature by going to
www.WhereIsMyMilkFrom.
com.
Unique nutrient package
Milk contains nine essential
nutrients, making it one of the
most nutrient-rich beverages
you can enjoy.
Drinking just 8 ounces of
milk can help you get one step
closer to meeting the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans rec-
ommended three servings of
milk or dairy products a day.
Just one 8-ounce serving
of milk is an excellent source
Tractor Factor Summer 2021
come from brown cows! Choc-
olate milk is made by simply
adding cocoa powder to white
milk.
Now that you know that
chocolate milk is just white
milk flavored with chocolate,
we can talk about the benefits
of drinking chocolate milk!
Like, regular, unflavored,
white milk, chocolate milk is
packed with protein, vitamins,
and nutrients. The high levels
of calcium and vitamin D aid
in bone, teeth, and muscle
health. The calcium in dairy
is easily absorbed by the body
which promotes growth and
strengthening of the bones in
children and adolescents.
For athletes, chocolate milk
is an excellent option as a re-
NEW YORK ANIMAL AGRICULTURE COALITION ILLUSTRATION
of calcium (nearly half of the
daily requirement), vitamin
D (54% of daily recommenda-
tions), protein and other key 84 Avon-Geneseo Rd. Geneseo, NY 14454
nutrients. Cell: 585-704-2246
The benefits of Office: 585-243-2643
drinking chocolate milk Fax: 585-243-1838
MarceaTetamore@gmail.com
First, let’s clear something www.abcolerealestate.com
up; chocolate milk does not
covery or post-work out drink.
The protein found in low-fat
chocolate milk helps to re-
pair and grow muscle tissue
after working out, training, or
playing sports. In addition,
the carbs found in this healthy
drink provides needed ener-
gy after a strenuous workout
by quickly replenishing the
bodies sugar levels. A typical
30–45-minute workout can
drain fluids and electrolytes
from the body leaving you de-
hydrated and sluggish. Milk
can replace those lost nutri-
ents and keep you hydrated.
Chocolate milk is a great
alternative to some of the re-
covery sport drinks out there
because it doesn’t contain caf-
feine or a ton of extra sugar.
Marcea Tetamore
Licensed Associate Broker
585-704-2246
 Tractor Factor Summer 2021 Saturday, June 5, 2021 • 11

Homemade Chocolate Milk,

Peanut Butter,
Banana Fudgesicles Recipe
Makes 6 Servings
Prep Time: 10

Ingredients
1 ½ cups low-fat chocolate milk (or fat level of choice)
2 ripe bananas
3 tablespoons peanut butter, chocolate peanut butter or
chocolate hazelnut spread*
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until
smooth.
Pour mixture into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 6
hours or overnight.
* For the richest chocolate flavor, use chocolate peanut
butter or chocolate hazelnut spread.
12 • Saturday, June 5, 2021 Tractor Factor Summer 2021