Photos by Tom Rivers: Members of the Albion FFA hold pumpkins painted by elementary students today during a fall festival that continues on Wednesday. These FFA members include, from left: Dylan Fox, Natalie DiCureia and Lizzy Baker.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 October 2016 at 3:22 pm
ALBION – About 700 students will be welcomed to the FFA classroom and ag shop today and on Wednesday to paint pumpkins (donated by Panek’s), play ag-related games, have cider (donated by Roberts Farm Market) and have an apple (donated by Nesbitt Farms).
Nick Reed, a senior, mans the station where students, including this first-grader Kiri Keller, try to throw a ring on a pumpkin.
Nick Sacco, a sophomore, makes apple sauce.
Omar Peterson, a freshman, runs the station where students try to match paper plates with Halloween themes.
Haylett Farms in Albion loaned a combine for this display. Students in Pat Levandowski’s first grade class hear about the combine from student Harrison Brown.
Some of the students take a peek underneath the big farm machinery.
Photo by Tom Rivers: A cow is pictured recently at Post Farms in Elba.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have been joined by several other senators in seeking federal appropriators to include funding for dairy farmers across the nation in the Fiscal Year 2017 budget.
Specifically, the senators in the bipartisan letter requested appropriators to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to refund farmers for the $73 million that they paid into the Dairy Margin Protection Program (DMPP) in 2015.
The senators are also calling on the committee to allow the USDA to provide emergency assistance to dairy farmers and take greater action to support dairy producers by excluding any provision preventing the USDA from implementing clause 3 of Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1935 or from engaging in surplus removal and price support activities under section 5 of the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act.
Gillibrand and Schumer have been joined by Susan Collins (R-ME), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Angus King Jr. (I-ME), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Al Franken (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D- NH), Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT), Chris S. Murphy (D-CT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kelly A. Ayotte (R-NH), Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-PA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D- RI) in sending a bipartisan letter, seeking release of the federal funds.
“As you know, dairy farmers across the country are struggling to stay in business. This year alone, dairy farms in a number of states have been forced to close at alarmingly high levels,” the senators wrote in their joint letter. “The Dairy Margin Protection Program has not provided the safety net for farmers that was anticipated when the program was created. We believe that there are key measures that can be taken that will provide critical near-term support to cash-strapped dairy farmers and pave the way for longer-term sustainability in the industry.”
Milk prices have dropped by more than 40 percent over the past two years, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) predicts low prices to continue for the near future. Dairy production costs continue to rise, and severe drought in some regions of the country has driven costs up further.
The letter concludes with the senators imploring the Appropriations Committee “to help our nation’s dairy farmers during this crisis.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 October 2016 at 9:16 am
ELBA – Three teams in the Orleans 4-H Legos program visited two dairy farms on Monday to see how the farms use technology to milk cows and improve efficiencies in their operations. Jeff Post, co-owner of Post farms on Batavia-Elba Townline Road, gives the 4-H’ers a tour of the farm, which uses four robots to milk cows.
This year all of the First Lego League teams in the country have to do a project on “Animal Allies.” The Orleans 4-H’ers in the FLL program are researching animals and will need to present that information during next month’s competitions. The 4-H’ers also need to build and program a robot to perform different tasks.
There are three teams in the Orleans 4-H program competing in the First Lego League. The local program is led by Erik and Marlene Seielstad of Albion.
This photo shows a robot milking a cow. Post Farms added the robots seven years ago. Jeff Post said the robots are reliable, saving the farm on labor costs. Technology allows the robots to keep track of each cow’s milk production (an average of 78 pounds a day). Sensors are used for the robots to see the udder and attach to the cow.
This cow takes a peak at the group visiting the farm. The cows milk on their own schedule at Post Farms. The farm is expanding and adding more robots.
Post Farms also has a windmill that provides about one-third of the farm’s electricity.
The 4-H’ers also visited Lamb Farms in Oakfield, one of the largest dairies in the state. Lamb Farms uses a rotary milking parlor that can fit 60 cows. The farm uses technology to help detect any health issues with the animals, track milk output, determine the best times for breeding and other issues, including cow comfort.
Lamb Farms added the rotary milking parlor 15 years ago. Matt Lamb, co-owner of the farm, said milking cows remains a physical job with lots of hand labor at Lamb Farms. He estimated that only 1 to 2 percent of cows in the country are milked by robots.
Lamb Farms also has a manure digester that uses the methane gas to power engines, creating electricity.
Emma Foote of Barre takes a picture of the cows on the rotary parlor. Emma and the other 4-H’ers visited two farms to get ideas for their projects in the First Lego League competition.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 October 2016 at 5:27 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Albion fourth-graders harvested squash this afternoon from the Land Lab on Clarendon Road that is used by the FFA and agriculture students.
The students planted the squash last spring when they were in third grade. Some of the students are pictured with Alexis Bentley, left, a member of the FFA.
About 40 bushels of squash were harvested and will be donated to Community Action of Orleans & Genesee.
This fourth-grader handles the butternut squash with one hand. The squashed will be boxed up by the FFA and delivered to Community Action.
Harrison Brown, a member of the FFA, welcomes the fourth-graders to the Land Lab.
The FFA planted these pumpkins last spring and they have grown to a good size. They will be part of a harvest festival Oct. 25-26.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 October 2016 at 3:43 pm
File photo by Tom Rivers: Barry Flansburg, president of the Albion Alumni FFA, leads an auction to benefit the FFA. Jenny McKenna of Albion holds one of the items up for bid during this photo from March 2015 during the annual Farmer-to-Neighbor night.
The president of the Albion FFA Alumni attended a regional conference with FFA leaders from several states this past weekend in Rochester.
Barry Flansburg was able to share how the Albion FFA Alumni have built an army of FFA supporters to help the Albion FFA chapter put on events, including competitions that draw FFA students from the region and state.
The Albion FFA Alumni also help round up fruits and vegetables after the harvest, which are part of the 30,000 pounds donated each year to Community Action and other local food pantries.
The alumni drop off tractors, gates and animals for the Mini Farm Day, and also help plant and harvest crops at the school’s Land Lab.
“We know how to get lots of volunteers to do lots of things,” said Flansburg. “You serve as an extended hand for your ag teacher and help put on events.”
There are about 200 FFA chapters in the state, but Albion is one of only seven that has an alumni chapter. Flansburg and the representative from the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill FFA Alumni Chapter near Utica represented NY at the regional conference.
The National FFA is looking for ways to strengthen alumni connections, to serve graduates and supporters of the FFA program, and also to utilize their skills in helping current FFA students.
The work of the Albion FFA Alumni hasn’t gone unnoticed, Flansburg said.
“As alumni, it is our responsibility to serve as a source of relief for our agriculture educators as well as attract new volunteers and supporters to help our FFA programs,” said National FFA Alumni Executive Director Josh Rusk. “Our hope is that the regional development conferences will give alumni the tools and support they need to be successful in that endeavor.”
This conference was one of six to be held this year. The other locations for the conferences include Oklahoma City, Burbank, Wash.; Ankeny, Iowa, Atlanta, Ga. and Oxford, Ohio.
The National FFA Organization provides leadership, personal growth and career success training through agricultural education to 629,367 student members who belong to one of 7,757 local FFA chapters throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Flansburg said the FFA is looking to establish a database of FFA students and alumni that will include resumes and opportunities to network for job opportunities or to help FFA chapters with projects.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 September 2016 at 4:13 pm
Chamber honors H.H. Dobbins owner as ‘Business Person of the Year’
Photos by Tom Rivers: Ward Dobbins is pictured inside H.H. Dobbins while Gala apples are being packed on Tuesday. Dobbins has worked at the company for 30 years, and led a big expansion last year with plans for a bigger packing line next year.
LYNDONVILLE – An apple packing business that started in 1905 by the Dobbins family has grown to a worldwide footprint under the leadership of the fourth-generation owner, Ward Dobbins.
H.H. Dobbins packs 1 million bushels of apples a year, and about 20 to 25 percent are shipped out of country to the United Kingdom, Israel, Iceland, Central America and other distant locales. (Dobbins sold the first U.S. apples into Cuba when the embargo was lifted.)
Workers on the packing line check Gala apples for any defects on Tuesday. Dobbins has about 75 full-time employees in Lyndonville.
Most of the apples packed and sold by Dobbins are grown nearby in Orleans County.
Dobbins, the company owner and chief executive officer, likes the company’s position in the apple market.
Last year it completed a $3.4 million project, adding a 26,240-square-foot controlled atmosphere storage building on Millers Road, about 2 miles from the main packing house on West Avenue.
The new CA boosts Dobbins on-site storage to 300,000 bushels of apples. The CA also acts to put apples “to sleep,” allowing them to be stored for many months, sometimes up to a year.
The ability to pull apples out of storage well after the harvest season means Dobbins can become a year-round packing operation.
The Chamber of Commerce on Friday recognized Dobbins with its “Business Person of the Year” award.
Ward Dobbins is pictured outside the 26,240-square-foot controlled atmosphere storage building that opened last year on Millers Road.
Dobbins said the company’s success is due to a talented management team, dedicated employees and the high-quality apples from so many excellent local growers.
“We have a great team here,” Dobbins said. “I wouldn’t be doing what I am without them.”
Lyndonville has proven to be a great location for the business because the company is nestled nicely in the Lake Ontario fruit belt with growers from Niagara, Orleans, Monroe and Wayne counties.
Those farmers have switched in recent years to popular varieties such as Honeycrisp and many have planted high-density orchards which boosts the yield per acre.
“The growers around here are top-notch,” Dobbins said. “They have the new varieties and systems.”
Dobbins works with about 30 farms, but about 10 supply most of the 1 million bushels packed and shipped from Dobbins each year.
Those apples are packed for well-known customers including Costco, Sam’s Club, Aldi and the Stop & Shop grocery chain.
Ward Dobbins is pictured with some key members of the leadership team, including from left: Brett Baker, international accounts manager; Dobbins; Sheila Dobbins, (Ward’s wife) and the company controller; and Ron Wilkowski, general manager.
There used to be many more packing houses in the region, but many consolidated with larger packing houses serving many farms. Dobbins said his company’s goal is to operate as efficiently and inexpensively as possible to be in the best position to serve the apple growers and Dobbins’ customers.
The packing houses have become high-tech with CA storage that effectively put apples to sleep to allow some of the fruit to be stored for nearly a year. That happens by dropping the oxygen levels to about 2 percent (compared to 20-21 percent of the air people breathe). The CA rooms also have carbon scrubbers that drop CO2 levels to about 2 percent.
The CA storage rooms release nitrogen that displaces oxygen. The new rooms are airtight without leaks. Some of the older CA rooms aren’t as tight and cost more to run.
Dobbins is looking to upgrade its packing house even more. The company plans to replace a packing line next year with new technology that can detect internal and external blemishes on fruit.
Some of the packing house leaders include, from left: Brian Murray, quality manager; Sherri Seefeldt, line operations and production supervisor; and Kyle Merritt, production manager.
Dobbins has 75 workers and many work on the packing lines, sorting out fruit that doesn’t quite look perfect. The new packing line will have a defect sorter that quickly scans for exterior imperfections in fruit. The big advantage to the technology will be seeing problems inside the fruit, such as water coring, that aren’t detectable to the human eye.
A truck from LynOaken Farms pulls up outside the new CA storage building on Millers Road. Dobbins said the company is fortunate to work with many of the leading growers in the region.
Dobbins said the new line won’t displace workers. They will instead be packing boxes and bags of fruit. The new line will increase the volume from 140 bushels packed per hour to 900 bushels, Dobbins said.
The new packing line will require an addition at the West Avenue complex. It will replace a packing line that is 20 years old.
Dobbins said there have been numerous technology innovations in the packing industry, from production lines to building designs.
The industry has also experienced major changes in food safety, from establishing standards for traceability to how workers handle fruit. (Visitors also must sign in, wear company-issued coats and either hair nets or hats. They also need to answer questions about any recent illnesses and medication they are using.)
With traceability, Dobbins can tell which bag of apples comes from which farm, and can even say which field it came from. Every bin of apples delivered at Dobbins is labelled by the farm. When the apples are packed and bagged, there will be a record on the bag noting which farm the apple is from. Should there ever be an outbreak of a foodborne illness, Dobbins can trace it to the farm.
Dobbins has two employees dedicated to food safety and five more that work in quality control.
“The consumer should feel very good,” he said about the many safety steps taken by Dobbins and the industry.
Dobbins about five years ago also merged its sales division with United Apples Sale Inc. to create United Apple Sales.
The apples are stacked high in the new CA storage building.
That company has boosted the exports for Dobbins. The company also opened a new office last week in the state of Washington, the country’s leading apple-producing state. (New York is second.)
Dobbins said the New York apple industry is in a good position. He mentioned a few reasons:
“We have the Great Lakes and rainfall,” he said. “We have access to a huge percentage of the population within an 8-hour drive from here. People are becoming more health conscious.”
Staff Reports Posted 13 September 2016 at 12:30 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: An apple orchard is pictured late Friday from the canal bridge on Presbyterian Road in Albion.
WASHINGTON — Orleans County has joined the list of counties in New York that have been declared primary natural disaster areas due to the drought conditions.
Orleans farmers were eligible for disaster relief because the county was contiguous to Genesee County, which made the list last month as a primary natural disaster area.
But now Orleans has its own designation following the the Sept. 9 designation by the US Department of Agriculture. Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cortland and Onondaga counties all were named to the list on Friday, bringing the total to 20 counties with primary designation, and six more that are contiguous.
Qualified farm operators in the designated areas are eligible for low-interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency, provided eligibility requirements are met.
Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity, the USDA said.
Photos by Tom Rivers: An orchard is pictured on Presbyterian Road in Albion, near the Erie Canal.
Apple growers in Orleans County and New York State are in harvest-mode, and they expect a nice crop despite drought conditions.
New York is the country’s second-leading apple producer with an average harvest of 28.6 million cartons annually the last five years. (Orleans County is the second leading apple county in the state, behind only Wayne County.) This year’s crop is expected at 30 million cartons, which would top the annual average, according to the New York Apple Association.
“By the time this crop gets off the trees and to market, all New York state apple fans are going to see is ‘great’ – great variety, great quality and great flavor,” said New York Association President Jim Allen.
These apples are pictured on Allens Bridge Road in Albion.
Besides the drought, some apple growers battled a frost during the spring bloom and hail in some parts of the state.
The apples will be a little smaller this year because of the drought, Allen said.
“There are plenty of fruits on the trees this year, they’re just smaller in size than usual,” he said.
The drought has apples crunchier and sweeter. With less water content, the concentration of sugars in each apple is higher.
“Even downsides can have upsides in this industry,” Allen said.
Growers have been switching some of their acreage to high-density plantings of popular varieties, such as Honeycrisp, and new varieties – Zestar, SnapDragon and RubyFrost.
“Our growers produce more apples now on fewer acres because of technology – smaller trees that produce more fruit, computer-aided packing and sorting, and high-tech cold storage that puts apples to sleep until they are ready to ship to stores,” Allen said.
The orchards in Orleans County are loaded with apples that will be picked in the next two months. These apples are pictured at an orchard on Allens Bridge Road.
The New York Apple Association also is touting apples as healthy snacks. The association has launched the Big Apple Salad Challenge this fall, encouraging people to eat one salad a day with an apple included.
Fans who take the Big Apple Salad Challenge are invited to try NYAA’s salad recipes, and to send pictures of their own apple salads to NYAA – the association will share fan photos on its website and Facebook page. (Click here to see the NYAA website.)
“Whatever your health goal – eating cleaner, feeling better, losing weight – salads are a deliciously easy way to eat better without sacrificing flavor or satisfaction,” says NYAA Registered Dietitian Linda Quinn. “Apples add crunch, texture and flavor – as well as nutrients and fiber-related fullness – to any salad. Plus, apple cider and cider vinegar make great salad dressings!”
Quinn has developed a number of apple salad recipes to help apple fans get started on the Big Apple Salad Challenge, including: New York Apple Slaw with Sweet and Sour Cider Dressing; New York Apple-cado Salad (a fruity, crunchy twist on traditional guacamole), New York Apple Seasonal Salad with kale, quinoa and dried cranberries in a cider vinaigrette dressing.
There is also New York Grilled Apple Salad with a tangy cider mustard vinaigrette dressing, and New York Apple BYO Salad with Apple Cider Drizzle – build your own salad with what’s in your fridge.
Send NYAA a favorite salad recipe or salad photo by Oct. 31, and you will be entered in the Big Apple Salad Sweepstakes. NYAA will share sweepstakes winners’ photos after the sweepstakes has concluded. (You can also simply fill out and submit the sweepstakes entry form – no purchase, photo or recipe is necessary.)
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 11 September 2016 at 9:35 am
Murray farm one of 6 agriculture sites featured in Heritage Festival
Photos by Kristina Gabalski: Sue Hurd Machamer, left, and her daughter Amy Machamer discuss the history of the canning industry which included information on food preservation basics and personal stories such as, “Aunt Helen Salisbury and the Birdseye Research Lab.”
MURRAY – Hurd Orchards on Ridge Road was one of six farms taking part in the agricultural facet of the Orleans County Heritage Festival on Saturday.
Colorful displays at Hurd Orchards featured information about the canning industry in Orleans County, vintage cookbooks, maps and produce labels.
The Hurd Orchards program included a Living History Lunch and Lecture on “The Cannery.”
Amy Machamer and her mother, Sue Hurd Machamer discussed how agriculture and the food processing industry have been the foundation of the local economy for more than 100 years.
The Machamers explained that during the 19th and 20th centuries, almost every village in Orleans County had its own cannery, surrounded by the fields and orchards which provided fruit and vegetables for processing. Examples include the Morton Canning Company in Morton, Hunt’s in Albion and H.J. Heinz in Medina.
The Machamers also shared stories about the packing houses, trucks, characters, and the enterprising business of producing fruit for the local canneries.
The luncheon that followed included fresh baked breads with heritage preserves made from original Orleans County recipes.
A portion of the program was subsidized by the Bayer Corporation. Hurd Orchards won Bayer’s 2016 Produce Innovation Award for their educational efforts in the field of agriculture including the luncheons, classes and tastings they hold each year at their farm.
Orleans County Heritage Festival goers Saturday enjoy a luncheon at Hurd Orchards. The menu included freshly baked bread and heritage preserves including Green Tomato Mincemeat and Plum Elegant.
Hurd Orchards offered Heritage Festival visitors samplings of heritage preserves and information about the history of the canning industry in Orleans County.
The luncheon dessert featured an apple/plum cobbler with vanilla ice cream.
Other farm operations included in the Heritage Festival included Leonard Oakes Estate Winery & LynOaken Farms in Medina, Orleans Poverty Hill Farms (dairy) in Albion, Partyka Farms in Kendall, Roberts Farm Market in Medina, and Watt Farms Country Market in Gaines.
Photo by Tom Rivers: A lone sunflower stands tall in a field of corn on Route 31 in Albion near the Long Bridge Road intersection.
Local counties, including Orleans, Genesee and Monroe, are among the 24 counties that have been designated natural disaster areas and are eligible for assistance through the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency.
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, R-Batavia, said the designation should help farmers weather a tough growing season, when a drought stunted crops and reduced yields. State officials will be conducting on-site assessments of the damage to local farms and working with Cornell University experts to devise recovery solutions, Hawley said.
“Farmers are the backbone of New York’s already excellent, diversified and growing agriculture sector,” Hawley said. “As the former owner and operator of our family farm for many years, I can personally attest to the determination of our famers to battle ever-changing weather and devastating floods and drought in Western New York. It is important to protect the livelihood of our producers and assist them when unforeseen circumstances threaten their prosperity. I am pleased the federal government is offering our famers this much needed assistance.”
Disaster declaration is based on reporting of crop loss to the federal Farm Service Agency and an “Extreme Drought” designation by the U.S. Drought Monitor. The federal government declared 15 counties as primary natural disaster areas and an additional nine counties as contiguous disaster counties due to a recent drought. (Orleans is a contiguous disaster county.)
In addition, several other counties in the North Country, the Finger Lakes, Central New York, and the Southern Tier regions are also requesting primary disaster declarations, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office said.
The primary counties included under this designation are in Western New York, Finger Lakes, Central New York, and Southern Tier.
“Strong agriculture is critical to the vibrancy of Upstate New York and this year’s hot, dry summer have created significant challenges to this crucial industry,” Governor Cuomo said. “From Western New York to the North Country, New York’s growers and producers are major drivers of our economy and the benefits they provide to the community are immeasurable. In these difficult times, we must ensure that they have full access to all the resources necessary for making a full recovery.”
The Farm Service Agency office in Orleans County is located at 446 West Ave., Albion. The phone number is (585) 589-5320.
“Our hearts go out to the farmers and ranchers affected by the drought in New York,” said United States Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “President Obama and I are committed to ensuring that agriculture remains a bright spot in our nation’s economy by sustaining the successes of America’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities through these difficult times. We’re also telling New York producers that USDA stands with you and your communities when severe weather and natural disasters threaten to disrupt your livelihood.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 September 2016 at 9:30 am
GAINES – The canal bridge on Gaines Basin Road is pictured on Sunday afternoon. This is close to the spot that is the northernmost point on the entire canal. A historical marker is west of the bridge noting that significance.
The U.S. Drought Monitor no longer considers Orleans County to be in a severe drought after recent rainfall helped bring some green back to local lawns and the landscape.
The latest report from the Drought Monitor on Sept. 1 considers Orleans in a moderate drought. Some counties south and east of Orleans continue to face extreme drought conditions, including Genesee, Monroe and Ontario counties. Visit http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NY to see the map of drought conditions in the state.)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced late last month that 15 counties in NY are considered “primary natural disaster areas.” Orleans isn’t on the list, but Genesee is included. Because Orleans is contiguous to Genesee, farmers may be eligible for some aid in low-interest emergency loans due to diminished crops and added costs for using water.
A boater stops in Albion along the Erie Canal on Friday evening between the lift bridges on Main and Ingersoll streets.
Provided photos: Kara Bentley of the Barre Volunteer Fire Company portrays a trapped firefighter in a grain bin during a training exercise Aug. 20 at Carlton.
ALBION – Orleans County firefighters and some local area farmers had the opportunity to attend a training involving the rescue of a person trapped in a grain bin.
The training on Aug. 20 was provided by the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety with sponsorships by The Agricultural Safety and Health Council of America, Farm Credit East, New York Farm Bureau Member Services and The Evans Insurance Agency.
NECASAG Director Dan Neenan was the course instructor. Orleans County firefighters attended from Albion, Barre, Carlton, East Shelby, Fancher-Hulberton-Murray, Holley, Kendall and Shelby.
They participated along with representatives from Orleans County Emergency Management and Elba Fire Department.
Following a short slide presentation, the participants spent the rest of the morning performing the hands-on rescue evolutions in victim removal and safe methods to lower the grain level in the bin.
The evolutions were completed using grain rescue equipment purchased by Carlton. This was to ensure that local responders were familiar with the tools available to them in the county.
Firefighters worked in pairs in the grain bin simulator to free victims who were trapped waist deep in corn. The rescue tool allows responders to build a wall around the victim. The grain entrapping the victim can then be removed from inside the wall which facilitates the victim’s removal.
The firefighters in the bin were assisted by other responders who handed them equipment as well as offering advice and encouragement. All firefighters entering the bin wore full body harnesses and were secured to the frame of the simulator. The grain depth is also maintained at a level that will not allow an adult to be submerged.
Responders also received training in the proper size and location to cut vents in the side of a grain bin to safely lower the grain level in the bin. Lowering the level assists with victim location and removal.
Jim Panek of Panek Farms in Albion arranged steel bin sections for cutting. Andrew Niederhofer, the Carlton fire chief, arranged corn from Lynn-ette Farms to be in the grain bin.
The training is provided by the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety and is the first in a series of safety trainings for the WNY region through a grant received by Erie County on behalf of the WNY Region. Sessions were held in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Niagara, Orleans, Steuben and Wyoming counties between Aug. 4-20.
Dan Neenan, an instructor with the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety, discusses grain bin safety and rescue during an Aug. 20 trainign class at the Carlton Recreation Hall.
Carlton firefighter Ben Diltz, front, is cutting, and Carlton Lt. Justin Niederhofer and firefighter Tom Niehaus are observing during the training drill.
Firefighters from several departments in Orleans County attended the training.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 August 2016 at 5:21 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers – A field of corn is pictured Wednesday on Brown Road in the Town of Gaines, just south of Ridge Road.
ALBION – Orleans County has added 9,788 acres to its newly consolidated agricultural district. That represents a 9.3 percent increase in ag district acreage, bringing the county total to 115,518 acres.
The county this year moved to consolidate three ag districts into one. The change should make it easier for farmers for the reviews every eight years.
Many of the farms work land that cross town boundaries. Some of the ag districts had different review cycles and farmers might inadvertently leave land out of an ag district if they didn’t send in paperwork.
“This has gone smoother than we thought,” Planning Director Jim Bensley advised the County Legislature last week.
The ag community has responded to the process as evidence by the increase in land for the ag district. Farmers will still have an option every June to add land to the ag district. However, if farmers want to remove land from the district they need to wait eight years for the next review.
The county used to have 10 ag districts and shrunk it to three, with a northern district in the towns of Yates, Carlton and Kendall; a middle district with Ridgeway, Gaines, Albion and Murray; and a southern district with the towns of Shelby, Barre and Clarendon.
Now all of the towns are in one consolidated district. The County Legislature approved the change in January, saying it will be simpler and more convenient for farmers, and also be more efficient for the County Planning Department, which administers the ag district.
Agricultural Districts are established by New York State Agriculture and Markets Law to provide for the protection of agricultural lands. Farmers with land in an ag district are protected from lawsuits from neighbors who complain about normal farm practices, such as odors, dirt on roads, and working in fields early in the morning or late at night.
The changes in the county’s ag district go before the state Department of Agriculture and Markets for review, and are expected to get a final OK by the County Legislature in October.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 31 July 2016 at 3:19 pm
KNOWLESVILLE – Fair Royalty for 2016 was crowned during the awards ceremony Saturday afternoon at the Orleans County 4-H Fair.
The front row, includes, from left: Dominic Hinkley, prince alternate; Nate Shaw, prince; Olivia Kroening, princess; and Mackenzie McGrath, princess alternate.
Back row: Will Gregoire, duke alternate; Zac Albright, duke; Riley Seielstad, dutchess alternate; Saleya Williams, dutchess; Claudia Drechsel, queen; and Megan Blackburn, queen alternate.
Saturday also featured the top small animal showmen in eight different animals in the Small Animal Grand Master Showman competition. Rachel Gregoire of Murray, left, won the title and Amelia Sidonio of Holley was picked Small Animal Reserve Grand Master Showman.
4-H’ers in the competition were evaluated on their ability to show animals they were given (not their own) in eight different animal areas.
Nicole Mrzywka of Holley competes in the Small Animal Grand Master Showman competition Saturday morning. Nicole was the Fair’s Dog Master Showman. Those in the Saturday contest had to show a dog, chicken and rabbit.
Grant Moy of Clarendon was Reserve Dog Showman earlier in the week. Here he shows a chicken as part of the Small Animal Grand Master Showman competition.
Rachel Gregoire shows a rabbit during the Small Animal Grand Master Showman competition. Rachel was both the Rabbit and Poultry Master Showman. She was chosen Small Animal Grand Master Showman at the Saturday morning competition.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 July 2016 at 3:09 pm
KNOWLESVILLE – Jayne Bannister, 18, of Point Breeze shows a dairy animal and answers a question from judge Tanya Nickerson during Friday’s Grand Master Showman Competition at the Orleans County 4-H fair.
Jayne won the title, one of the most prestigious honors at the fair. The contest includes the top showman in eight different animals: horse, dairy goat, meat goat, sheep, swine, llama, dairy cattle and beef cattle.
Jayne, a past winner of the grand master showman, won the title in her final year in 4-H. She qualified for the competition after winning the swine showmanship on Monday.
Jayne in May finished her freshman year at Kansas State University, where she is a double major in animal science and agriculture education. She said showing animals the past decade at the fair has helped her in her goal of teaching the public about agriculture and how food is grown and raised.
After the Grand Master Showman competition, Jayne changed clothes to try the grease pole climbing contest for the first time.
Jesse Suttura, 16, of Greece shows a dairy cow during the Grand Master Showman competition. She qualified after winning the horse showmanship. The competition has the winners of each competition earlier in the week show all of the different animals on Friday evening.
The Small Animal Grand Master Showman competition is today at noon.
These competitors in the Grand Master Showman event hold dairy animals while keeping an eye on the judge. The four showmen in this photo include, from left: Rylie Lear, Jesse Suttura, Mel Klossner and Justin Robinson.
Justin Robinson, 16, of Albion shows a dairy animal on Friday. He qualified for the event after winning the dairy showmanship.
Natalie Mrzywka, 17, of Holley shows a sheep during Friday’s event. Natalie won the grand master showman title last year. She qualified this year by winning the meat goat showmanship.
Natalie said she enjoys the grand master showman event because she learns about so many different types of farm animals. The competition last more than two hours.
“It’s fun to be in the ring,” she said.
The showmen try to get the sheep squared and set up for the judge. The 4-H’ers include, from left: Jayne Bannister, Nicole Mrzywka (the reserve grand master showman), Justin Robinson and Natalie Mrzywka.
Rylie Lear of Waterport shows a dairy animal. She qualified after winning the beef cattle competition.
Justin Robinson leads a beef animal around the show ring while other competitors show the animals to judge Tanya Nickerson.
