The Daniel Parrish Witter Agricultural Museum at what is now known as the Great New York State Fair opened officially on April 30th, 1928. Daniel Parrish Witter, a long-time New York State Assemblyman representing Tioga County was born in 1852 at Richford. Witter assumed the greater responsibility for working the family farm after his father became disabled, one of his older brothers was killed in the Civil War, and two others were seriously wounded in the same conflict. [Read more…] about The Daniel Parrish Witter Agricultural Museum: A History
local farms
‘Cradle of the Breed’: Gerrit Smith Miller & His Kriemhild Holsteins
On August 17th, 1929, the German airship Graf Zeppelin was attempting to encircle the world. Baseball fans were still marveling about how Babe Ruth had reached the 500 mark in home runs the previous Sunday at League Park in Cleveland, Ohio. The Great Bull Market of the 1920s was yet to crash.
None of these matters preoccupied Henry A. Strohmeyer, Jr., animal photographer, as he positioned himself and his camera to capture a picture of the man of the hour. Son of a famed expert in stereoscopic photography who made a career in capturing images of the estates of the wealthy, Strohmeyer had built his own reputation largely by taking pictures of cows and bulls. He was about to photograph Gerrit Smith Miller who at eighty-four was the oldest and most respected Holstein cowman in the country. [Read more…] about ‘Cradle of the Breed’: Gerrit Smith Miller & His Kriemhild Holsteins
Mott’s Apple Empire Began in Saratoga County in 1842
You may have noticed that “Since 1842” appears on the label of all Mott’s apple products. That was the year Samuel Mott began selling apple cider and vinegar to his neighbors in Halfmoon, Saratoga County, NY. The Mott’s apple processing empire we know today grew from that humble beginning. [Read more…] about Mott’s Apple Empire Began in Saratoga County in 1842
Mustard Power: An Historic Food Crop
First domesticated in Central Asia some six-thousand years ago by ancient cultures looking for the best way to ruin shirts, mustard has evolved from zesty warm to blistering hot to the point that it’s now being developed as an ultra-low emission jet fuel.
Given the large size of the mustard or Brassica family – some 3,000 strong, according to Cornell University – it’s no surprise that it comprises historic food crops, showy flowers, noxious invasive weeds, and more. [Read more…] about Mustard Power: An Historic Food Crop
NY Farm Champlain Phosphorus Pollution Grants Available
The Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) is seeking proposals for a program that will implement innovative enhancements to best management practices (BMPs) on farms in the New York portion of the Lake Champlain Basin in 2022.
These enhanced BMPs will help reduce phosphorus runoff, a prominent threat to clean water in Lake Champlain. Up to $50,000 is available to support the program. [Read more…] about NY Farm Champlain Phosphorus Pollution Grants Available
October On The 19th Century Farm
Oh, the joy of October – the month of apple harvest and autumn foliage.
“The farmers of this village are now gathering their apple crop. They report the crop good,” The Granville Sentinel reported on October 6th, 1876. [Read more…] about October On The 19th Century Farm
Donald Stewart: The Man Who Founded The First Stewart’s Shop
This summer Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa, NY, opened an exhibit: “Century of Ice Cream! The Dake Family and Stewart’s.”
One might wonder why this successful business, with almost 350 convenience stores is named “Stewart’s” and not “Dake’s.”
Actually, the original founder of Stewart’s had a strong reputation for high-quality dairy products, long before the Dake family purchased the business. [Read more…] about Donald Stewart: The Man Who Founded The First Stewart’s Shop
Adirondack Poultry Yards: King of the Rhode Island Reds
A century ago, Corinth, in Saratoga County, was home to some of the top Rhode Island Red chickens in the state. Backyard hens have become popular in recent years but poultry breeding was a big business in the earlier 1900s. [Read more…] about Adirondack Poultry Yards: King of the Rhode Island Reds
Honey Bee Keepers, Curb Your Enthusiasm
With their marvelous interpretive-dance routines, complex social life, and delicious honey, honeybees are widely respected, but they’re anything but sweet to wild pollinators. In fact, a surfeit of honeybees is a big threat to our native bees and butterflies. [Read more…] about Honey Bee Keepers, Curb Your Enthusiasm
August 1884, An Early Frost In Warren County, NY
August 1884 opened with a promising outlook for Warren County farmers, but as the month continued the weather would be an up-and-down roller coaster ride.
“The recent rain made vegetation revive so that it looks quite promising,” the Horicon correspondent reported in The Morning Star of Glens Falls on August 1st. [Read more…] about August 1884, An Early Frost In Warren County, NY