SPOILER ALERT – 56th Annual American Dairy Association North East Reveals This Year’s Butter Sculpture

If you’re one that goes to the fair with part of the excitement on seeing what this year’s butter sculpture is then please, do not continue to read this article.

On Tuesday, the American Dairy Association North East unveiled their 56th annual butter sculpture at the Great New York State Fair. The Fair is now open and will run through Labor Day (September 1st) in Syracuse. You can find the butter sculpture inside the Dairy Products Building.

The theme for this year’s butter sculpture is “Dairy: Good for you. Good for the planet” the sculpture is being sponsored by Wegmans this year and showcases one of the many ways dairy farmers help protect the planet while also producing milk.

“Millions of people enjoy local waterways every day – swimming, fishing, kayaking – but are unaware of the efforts made by dairy farmers to protect these precious resources. The butter sculpture depicts a family relaxing on the bank of a river on one side while showing a dairy farmer planting a tree on the other side. Every year, dairy farmers plant thousands of trees along rivers and streams that run through their farms to prevent soil erosion, improve water quality and provide a natural habitat for wildlife.” American Dairy Association North East said in a release.

During the unveiling of the sculpture, local dairy farmer Mike McMahon of E-Z Acres Dairy in Homer spoke on how planting trees along waterways have had a major impact on water quality. He continued on saying nearly 30% of his farm is within the Skaneateles Lake watershed.

“Dairy farmers take protecting your drinking water seriously. On our farm alone, we have planted thousands of willow trees along the eight miles of streams that run through our property. Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword for us, we invest heavily in practices like these to create a healthy environment for our neighbors, our family and our cows,” said McMahon.

The sculpture this year features a blue river that builds the connection between consumer enjoyment and responsible dairy production. Creators of this year’s sculpture, Jim Victor and Marie Pelton of Conshohocken, PA, built the sculpture over 11-days and used over 800 pounds of butter from O-AT-KA Milk Products from Western New York.

“We know dairy is good for your health, and with this sculpture, we want to emphasize that responsible dairy production is good for the environment,” said John Chrisman, CEO of American Dairy Association North East. “Our farmers work with specialists and environmental groups to adopt practices that protect waterways, recycle resources and reduce greenhouse gases to protect the planet.”

American Dairy Association North East says after the Fair, the sculpture will be deconstructed with assistance from the Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners. Afterwards, it will be transported to Noblehurst Farms in Linwood, NY where it will be recycled into renewable energy.

Richard A. Ball, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner noted, “Unveiling the Butter Sculpture is one of my favorite traditions at The Fair and a wonderful way to honor our dairy farmers who work so hard to feed our families and bring healthy products to our communities every day. I’m very proud of the work our dairy farmers are doing to balance productive farming with environmental responsibility.”