Visit the Farm Day Success

Over 900 people visited Oak View Dairy in Busti on August 26th

-by Katelyn Walley-Stoll, Farm Business Management Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County

JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK (September 5th, 2017) – On Saturday, August 26th, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County hosted 2017’s Visit the Farm Day event at Oak View Dairy, owned and operated by the Kidder and Cotter families, in Busti, NY. Perfect weather helped to make this family friendly and educational event a success that was attended by over 900 people.

Oak View Dairy was able to highlight their dedication to quality milk production and high caliber of animal care to visitors at Visit the Farm Day. Located on the corner of Shadyside and Nutt Road in Busti, the farm attracted many attendees from the surrounding Jamestown and Lakewood communities, as well as other interested participants from across Western New York. The farm is owned and operated by Bruce Kidder, and Shawn and Tara Cotter. They currently milk 450 cows and farm over 1,000 acres of land. The farm has been in the family since 1817, and is currently celebrating its bicentennial year! This event provided an ideal opportunity to showcase their outstanding farm practices, their dedication to educating the public about where their food comes from and how hard farmers work every day to produce safe, wholesome products for us all to enjoy.

Attendees were able to go on a guided walking tour led by our county’s agricultural business representatives and volunteers from the agricultural community. The tour stops included the farm machinery and crop station, the cow barn with a talk on feeding and housing, the calf barn, and the milking parlor. At the conclusion of the tour, visitors enjoyed free milk and cheese and participants enjoyed educational displays, children’s activities, a “petting zoo”, and vendor booths.

This event was made possible through several industry sponsors, as well as the help of over 50 volunteers, the staff of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County, the dedication of the Kidder and Cotter Families, and Oak View Dairy’s employees.

Sponsors for the event were as follows: Premier Level – Chautauqua Region Community Foundation.

Gold Level – Chautauqua County Farm Bureau; Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation District; Dairy Farmers of America; Farm Credit East, ACA – Mayville, NY; Gramco, Inc. – Springville, NY.

Silver Level – Danielson Oil Co., Inc. – Jamestown, NY; J. Edwards Insurance – Panama, NY; Jamestown Ice – Jamestown, NY; John Wiggers & Son, Inc. – Clymer, NY; Meadowbrook – Erie, PA; Ortel Supply, Inc. – Arcade, NY; Storer’s Container Service – Stockton, NY; Timothy Rice, DVM, Chautauqua Veterinary Service; WNY Crop Management Association – Randolph, NY.

Bronze Level – Attica Veterinary Associates, PC – Attica, NY; Jamestown Awning – Jamestown, NY; LandPRO Equipment – Falconer, NY; Nelson’s Hoof Trimming – Randolph, NY; Select Sire Power Inc.; Southern Tier Dairy Services – Conewango Valley, NY; The Home Depot – Jamestown, NY.

Visit the Farm Day is organized by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County’s Agriculture Program Staff with the financial support from area agribusiness sponsors and the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. For more information about Visit the Farm Day, contact the agriculture program staff at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County: Lisa Kempisty, Dairy/Livestock Educator at 716-664-9502 ext. 203 or Katelyn Walley-Stoll, Farm Business Management Educator at 716-664-9502 ext. 202.

Visit the Farm Day is one of many programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County (CCE-Chautauqua) in line with the County’s 20/20 Comprehensive Plan. CCE-Chautauqua is a community based educational organization, affiliated with Cornell University, Chautauqua County Government, the NYS SUNY system, and the federal government through the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. For more information, call 716-664-9502 or visit our website at www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua. Cornell University Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.

Last updated September 5, 2017