Wyoming County is renowned for our farm-to-table culture.
We are the largest dairy producing county in New York State, and are a recognized as a leader in the national agricultural community. We often joke there are more cows here than people – but it’s true – there are 47,200 dairy cows and 39,860 people in Wyoming County.
So what better time to appreciate our innovative, creative and hardworking dairy culture, than to celebrate National Dairy Month in June!
To do that we are holding a creatively cute contest with our friends at the Arts Council for Wyoming County and Clickety Sticks in Arcade. They’ve crafted these adorable cows, and we want to give you a chance to win them!
How can you get in on the fun and enter to win one of these – it is easy – just do these three things:
- Share a picture of you on Facebook enjoying dairy in Wyoming County. Drink milk, eat ice cream, taste cheese – OR – visit one of our many shops, restaurants, farmers’ markets or roadside produce stands.
- Follow WyCo Tourism & the Arts Council for Wyoming County on Facebook for updates & activities
- Tag @WyomingCountyTourism on Facebook and use #WyCoApproved so we can see your entries
Each week we’ll select a winner!
These handcrafted cows are courtesy of Linda at the Arts Council for Wyoming County and Karrie & Kristen from Clickety Sticks in Arcade. Thank you so very much for donating your time & creative talents. Also thank you to Creekside Fabric, Quilts & Yarns for donating yarn – you’re the best Sandy!
Now a little history and some fun facts about National Dairy Month:
June Dairy Month started out as a way to distribute extra milk during the warm months of summer. The commemoration was established in 1937 by grocer organizations sponsoring “National Milk Month.” By 1939, June became the official “dairy month” and is still celebrated today.
Whether it’s in coffee, cereal, or smoothies, adding one more serving of milk to your family’s day can help ensure they get the nutrients they need to build strong bones and teeth. Trusted for decades, dairy farm families pride themselves on producing wholesome dairy foods that help their families grow up strong and healthy.
Fun facts about dairy foods and farming:
- America’s favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla; chocolate is second.
- The scientific term for “brain freeze” is sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia. But you can keep calling it brain freeze (or frozen headache) when you eat ice cream.
- Farmers measure milk in pounds, not gallons - 8.6 pounds per gallon is the standard.
- It takes about 10 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese and just over 21 pounds to make a pound of butter.
- Wisconsin is the only state where Limburger cheese is produced.
- Dairy cows eat about 100 pounds of food every day and drink 25-50 gallons of water.
Chew on these historical tidbits about milk and dairy…how many did you know?
- Home delivery of milk started in 1942 as a war conservation measure.
- Early cheese-makers shaped Edam into balls to roll down the gang planks of ships for export.
- Little Miss Muffet’s curds and whey (from the nursery rhyme) were an early version of cottage cheese.
- Presenting newlyweds with a pot of butter, symbolic of wealth and fertility, was once common in England.
