New York Farm Viability Institute Website Press Releases 

August 31, 2007
Contact: Rebecca Schuelke, public relations specialist
(315) 453-3823 extension 103
(315) 427-2714
rschuelke@nyfvi.org

NY Center for Dairy Excellence launches informational program at State Fair

The New York Center for Dairy Excellence kicked off a consumer information campaign and unveiled its new logo on opening day of the New York State Fair in Syracuse, New York.

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Patrick Hooker was on hand for the ceremonial launching of the new organization. The New York Center for Dairy Excellence was created earlier this year to facilitate the development of a unified, goal-oriented dairy sector, focused on enhancing dairy farm profitability and strengthening the industry as a whole.

``New York’s dairy industry remains the economic backbone for the Upstate economy and I am thrilled that the Center for Dairy Excellence is up and running to make sure that tradition continues,’’ Commissioner Hooker said.

The Commissioner was joined at the ceremony on Aug. 23 by Assemblyman Bill Magee, chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, and John Lincoln, chair of the board of directors of the New York Farm Viability Institute.

The NY Center for Dairy Excellence, located in Syracuse, New York, is an initiative of the NY Farm Viability Institute. Both organizations are funded through legislative appropriations to the Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Mark Kenville, director of the New York Center for Dairy Excellence, explained that the Center formed the New York State Dairy Industry Task Force – a group of agricultural leaders, including farmers, researchers, educators, government officials, agri-business personnel and others – to develop and implement strategies to increase farm profits.

“Based on the direction of the Task Force, the Center for Dairy Excellence is concentrating its efforts in the areas of business and production management, environmental stewardship, human resources, economic development and communications and outreach to the general public,” he said.

``The Farm Viability Institute and the Center for Dairy Excellence are committed to work that moves agriculture forward by keeping farming profitable,’’ said Lincoln, who is also president of the New York Farm Bureau and operator of Linholm Dairy in Bloomfield, New York. ``We believe in work that includes farmers in identifying needs and opportunities for the industry, implementing projects on the farm, sharing successful techniques with others and evaluating the success of the project.’’

Among the initial programs advanced by the Center for Dairy Excellence is an informational campaign aimed at consumers, which details the enormity of the state’s dairy industry and its impact of the economy. A series of signs located in the Dairy Products Building and the Dairy Cattle Building, presented information on the value of the dairy industry to the public.

``These signs are part of the ongoing need to spread the good word of the dairy industry and all that it provides and does for Upstate New York,’’ said Commissioner Hooker.


A new logo for New York Center for Dairy Excellence was unveiled at the New York State Fair on Opening Day as part of an informational campaign aimed at consumers, which details the enormity of the state’s dairy industry and its impact of the economy. Kicking off the campaign were (left to right) John Lincoln, chair of the board of the New York Farm Viability Institute and president of New York Farm Bureau; Mark Kenville, director of the New York Center for Dairy Excellence; Commissioner Patrick Hooker of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets; and Assemblyman Bill Magee, chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee.

New York Farm Viability Institute is an independent, farmer-led nonprofit organization that directs and funds farm-level research to increase profits, reduce costs and other barriers, create jobs and encourage practical innovation on the farm. The institute is funded by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Visit www.nyfarmviability.org.