NY STATE FAIR GROUP ACTION BOOTHS at the NY State Fair Youth Building

Calling all 4-H members or clubs!

A group of three or more youth and one adult can earn a premium of $20/day, by showcasing a project or activity that your club has worked on this year, or help county personnel work with the public on a STEM activity.  You can split the time up with several adults and youth from your club in 2 hour intervals with a total of 6 hours of coverage. Herkimer County is covering a booth in the youth building at the NY State Fair on August 21 & 22. Contact Wendy for details and to sign up.

**Back again this year**- clubs that sign up to cover a 6 hour shift at the county booth can earn an additional $50 for working at the State Fair. Only 2 days available for this opportunity, so please sign up soon.

4-H Teen Opportunities at the NY State Fair

Youth Leaders (age 9-12)

• Paid Youth Leader positions are limited to 4-H members who are 9 – 12 years of age (4-H age as of January 1st of the current year)
• Volunteer Youth Leaders are welcome. No premium paid.
• Selected by 4-H Specialists and Staff.
• Participate in educational opportunities.
• Will work a minimum of 3 hrs. Per day.
• Receive a premium of $6 for each day worked.
• Pre-registration by their county educator with State 4-H Office or area superintendent is strongly recommended.
• Youth Leaders require the supervision of their county educator or designated volunteer.
• Opportunities for Youth Leaders aged 9 – 12 (based on their 4-H age) include: County Booth

Teen Leaders
There are many teen leadership opportunities available at State Fair, age 13 – 16, both in the Youth Building and throughout the animal barns. Paid Youth Leader positions are limited to 4-H members who are 13 years of age and not have reached their 19th birthday by January 1 of the current year. Teen leaders will work a minimum of 6 hrs. Per day, and receive a premium of $12 for each day worked. Opportunities for Youth Leaders age 13 – 19 (based on 4-H age) include Fashion Revue, Poultry Science, Dairy, Horse, Robotics, Project Evaluation, GPS/GIS, Shooting Sports, The Great 4-H Cook Off, County Booth Displays, Horticulture, and Goat. Teens may also lead activities in their county booths. This is a great way for teens to learn basic job skills, make new friends and take on a leadership role in 4-H.

Junior Superintendents
These positions are for 4-Hers age 16 and over who wish to be involved in a much deeper State Fair leadership experience. Applications for new Jr. Supers will be available after May 1st. There are limited number of spots and they fill very quickly! Besides positions in the youth building, there are also opportunities in animal science. First year Junior Superintendents are typically only scheduled for 1 week. A premium of $40 per day is paid to youth selected to be Junior Supers. Shifts are a min of 5 days and can be as long as 15 days. These youths should be highly motivated to serve and be the most responsible/hardest working members that counties have! Their roles will be key to the day-to-day success of 4-H activities at the fair.

For more information contact Wendy or Jenn.

The Herkimer County Fair generously invites all 4-H members to come show the public your 4-H story.  Whether it is showing animals, displaying exhibits in the youth building, making a project with the public, or a cooking demonstration; all are part of highlighting 4-H. Now is the time to assist 4-H members in preparing for fair. An early start will help insure that the fair is a positive and fun experience for everyone.

Here are some dates to remember.

1. Non-animal 4-H exhibits are judged on August 11, from 11am – 3 pm, in the Youth Building of the Herkimer County Fair. If you would like to help out on the day of judging, please contact the 4-H office.
2. “4-H Project Talks” about my 4-H project in the youth building scheduled for 1 hour time slots between 10 am – 4 pm on August 15th (4-H Day)  See more information below.
3. All exhibits can go home on August 19 from 9 am – 11 am. Any exhibits not going to State Fair will need to be picked up at this time. Any exhibits not picked up will remain at the Herkimer County Fair.

If you have any exhibits going to State Fair, we’ll be glad to transport them directly from County Fair to State Fair. You must bring appropriate packaging for safely transporting your exhibit (i.e. newsprint or tissue paper to wrap fragile items, cardboard boxes to secure them from sliding around in the vehicle); as well as your completed State Fair Exhibit card and NYS 4-H Universal Information and Evaluation sheet.

4-H State Fair Exhibit Card and NYS 4-H Universal Information and Evaluation sheet

Any 4-H exhibits chosen for NYS Fair must have the State Fair Exhibit Card and include the NYS 4-H Universal Information and Evaluation sheet filled out and returned to 4-H staff by the end of Herkimer County Fair PRIOR to picking up your exhibits.  They both need to be included on every NY State 4-H Youth Building exhibit that will be evaluated.  Only exhibits with exhibit cards and information sheets, filled out completely and attached by August 21, by 11 am, can go on to the State Fair. The NYS 4-H Universal Information and Evaluation sheet is a fillable pdf form, found here: ?????; that can be filled out on a computer and printed, or printed as a blank form and filled out by hand.  The State Fair Exhibit cards will be on card stock.

Here is a checklist of “to dos” to get you started.

• Go over the Herkimer County Fair book with your 4-H members. Make sure they have a copy. Read it together. Plan exhibits they will bring to the fair; and what preparation the exhibit will need.
• Assist members to fill out their entry blank and exhibit tags COMPLETELY, prior to the fair. It makes for a much smoother day; and less stress on everyone if you come with all your paperwork completed ahead of time.
• Explain the conference evaluation style of judging to members. Conference judging helps the member feel at ease and in a more receptive frame of mind. Conference evaluation is often easier for the judge. The member gains a greater benefit from the experience. Conference evaluation eliminates the question of why an item received a certain ribbon, therefore, making the evaluation of project work more educational.
• Explain the Danish System. Within the Danish System, each exhibit – be it a birdhouse or a flower – is compared to the ideal for the exhibit given the exhibitor’s experience & age. Exhibits are not placed in a ranking, rather each item is judged on its own merit.  Participants receive either a blue ribbon (excellent), red ribbon (good) or a white ribbon (worthy).  Green ribbons (participation) are distributed to exhibits that are display only.  The emphasis is placed on the process of learning, not necessarily the end product.

REMEMBER, it’s a well-known fact (with historical basis, ask any old 4-H member) that those who take an active part in the fair have more FUN!!!

2024 Fair Theme: “Saddle-up and Go to the Herkimer County Fair”

Calling all 4-H Clubs and Independent members – We are challenging you to come up with a club or family exhibit for the youth building that best reflects the 2024 Herkimer County Fair Theme: “Saddle up and Go to the Herkimer County Fair”. Maybe a western theme, or horses? Let us show 4-H’s imagination and creativity.  Photos, posters, sculpture, quilt… use your imagination.  If you can incorporate 4-H into your exhibit, even better. Prizes will go to the most original and best interpretation of the theme.

“4-H Project Talks” Back again at the Herkimer County Fair

You have worked all year on your 4-H project to bring it to the Herkimer County fair. Now here it is at the fair with a ribbon on it. The 4-H office would like to encourage 4-H members to do a Public Presentation and/or Make ‘N Take activity, at the County Fair to teach the public what goes into the exhibit on display.  If there is a project, your 4-H member is planning to enter as an exhibit at the Herkimer County fair, please consider demonstrating what you learned for the public on 4-H Day August 15, or pick whatever day and time works best for you. Plan to help highlight 4-H in the Youth Building by participating in interactive activities and demonstrations. Contact Wendy to reserve your time.

4-H T-shirt for Herkimer County Fair

We are having 4-H Day at the Herkimer County Fair on August 15.  We want everyone to come wearing 4-H apparel and make 4-H seen all over the fairground.

We are offering the special shirts made for our 4-H members and volunteers again this year.  If you need a new size, or never got one last year, you must order ahead.  Shirts will be $6 each, either Adult or Youth sizes.  The design is “Meet me at the Fair” Herkimer County Fair, NY State Fair with the 4-H clover in the center.  Call the office with your shirt sizes and pre-pay for your shirts by July 15^th.  Family members want to get in on this promotion too? They can also order a 4-H fair shirt for the full price, $12.  We just need their size and money by the July 15^th deadline.

Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Herkimer County’s 111^th Annual Meeting and Dinner will be held on Wednesday, November 1^st, 2023, 6:00 pm at Herkimer College, 100 Reservoir Rd, Herkimer.

Hear about the Farm to School effort to bring local foods to school cafeterias and an overview of the state of Herkimer County Agriculture.

A Taste of Herkimer County: A Local Food Sampler

Presented by:

• Lizzy Cooper, Farm to School Coordinator with CCE’s Harvest NY Program
• Nicole Tommell, Farm Management Specialist and Team Leader with the Central NY Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Team
• Garet Livermore, Executive Director and Agriculture Issues Leader for CCE Herkimer County

An election for 2024 Board and Committee members will be held.

A suggestion donation of $20 per person is requested to offset the cost of the dinner.

RSVP is required by Friday, October 27 by calling (315) 866-7920, or via https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/AnnualMeeting2023_221 (QR code below)

Once registered, you will receive a PayPal link to pay by credit/debit card or you may stop into our office (or mail your check to) CCE Herkimer County, 5657 State Route 5, Herkimer, NY 13350.

Thank you for your support!

If you need more information, contact Cornell Cooperative Extension in Herkimer at (315) 866-7920, or email herkimer@cornell.edu

5 Tips to Save Money at the Grocery Store

• Make less trips to the grocery store to save on gas.
• Know the layout of the store.
• Limit buying convenience foods from the deli or bakery.
• Buy fruits and vegetables in season.
• Check out your local farmers’ market.  Click here for a list of farmers’ markets in Herkimer County.

Click here for a list of Shopping Strategies you can use every time you grocery shop!

For more information on how EFNEP can help you stretch your food dollars, click here. EFNEP is for families with children ages 19 and under (or pregnant) who are eligible for WIC, SNAP, Head Start, free or reduced-priced school lunches.  To talk to one of our EFNEP nutrition educators for details, click here.

Healthy Cents is developed by the University of Maryland School of Public Health and the Maryland SNAP-Ed program.

Home canning is an excellent way to preserve garden produce and share it with family and friends, but it can be risky—or even deadly—if not done correctly and safely according to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.  Steer clear of the following canning mistakes.

Making Up Your Own Recipe: Use only up-to-date, scientifically tested recipes approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and follow directions exactly.  Good sources are the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, the National Center for Home Food Preservation, and land-grant university publications.  Without scientific testing, there is no way to know how long the product needs to be processed to be safe.

Processing Low-Acid Foods in a Water Bath: Canning low-acid foods requires special care. This includes red meats, fish, poultry and all vegetables (except for acidified tomatoes). Low-acid foods can support the production of the deadly botulism toxin if these foods are not processed properly in a pressure canner. A pressure canner heats food to high temperatures (240-250 degrees F or higher) and destroys the spores that produce the botulism toxin. A boiling water bath canner, which can be used for canning pickles or fruit, heats food to boiling temperature (212 F), which is not high enough to ensure safety for canning vegetables and other low-acid foods.

Not Venting the Pressure Canner: Trapped air inside a pressure canner lowers the temperature obtained for a given pressure and results in under processing.  To be safe, the USDA recommends that all pressure canners be vented 10 minutes before they are pressurized.

Rushing the Pressure Canner Cool-Down Time: The natural cool-down of the canner is part of the tested processing time.  Hurrying this process will result in under-processed food and siphoning of liquid from the jars.  It may also cause jar breakage.

Failure to Acidify Canned Tomatoes: Because the pH of tomatoes is an unknown, the USDA recommends that bottled lemon juice be used to lower the pH of the product to be unquestionably safe.

Canning by Electric Pressure Cooker, Oven, Open Kettle, Microwave, or Dishwasher:  Boiling water bath or pressure are the only approved canning methods. Any other method should be avoided as foods will be under processed and unsafe. Heat is conducted by air in an oven which is less efficient than water or steam. As a result product temperature never exceeds the boiling point; jar breakage is also a possibility. Open-kettle canning, placing hot food in jars and sealing with no further heat treatment, has been considered an unsafe home canning practice since the 1980’s due to insufficient heat to destroy bacteria. Microwaved food reaches 212°F but heating is not uniform.  The water temperature of the dishwasher’s cleaning and rinsing cycles is far below that required to kill harmful microorganisms. While electric pressure cookers use pressure for cooking, they do not meet the appliance standards for home pressure canning, even if marketed as safe for pressure canning.

Home canning is perfectly safe but needs to be done correctly.  If you are new to canning (or need a refresher), see our Food Preservation page.

Article released August 30, 2021

Are you concerned about the future of Adirondack Brook Trout?  Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Herkimer and Hamilton Counties invite you to

Square Tail Summit Brook Trout & Climate Change
September 15, 2021
9am – 3pm
The VIEW, 3273 NY-28, Old Forge, NY 13420

Join us for a day of learning and conversation with leading researchers, citizen scientists and advocates on the frontline of coldwater fisheries and a conversation about how to protect our aquatic environment in a time of dramatic climate change. Learn about trout survival and population trends, documentation of new strains of heritage trout and how the Adirondack community can work together to protect, restore and sustain the region’s fisheries for the future.

Topics include:

• A century of brook trout conservation in changing environmental conditions by Cornell University
• Citizen scientists using DNA to document the habitat of native trout
• The Native Fish Coalition’s successes in protecting native fish species in New England
• Community conversation on protecting the Adirondack’s aquatic environment

Special Guest: Bob Mallard, author of Squaretail: The Definitive Guide to Brook Trout and Where to Find Them and a founder of Native Fish Coalition. He will be speaking and signing copies of his book.

The Square Tail Summit is a program of Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) offices of Herkimer and Hamilton counties and is part of a year-long educational effort to inform and prepare individuals and communities for likely environmental changes due to climate change in the Adirondack region. CCE’s mission is to put knowledge to work in pursuit of economic vitality, ecological sustainability and social well-being. CCE offices across New York State bring local experience and research based solutions together, helping our families and communities thrive in our rapidly changing world.

The summit is hosted by the VIEW Arts Center, the VIEW brings a broad range of artistic and cultural programs to the to its LEED certified campus in Old Forge. While at the VIEW you can see the latest exhibitions of paintings and sculpture or take a few minutes to engage in the nature along the Wetland Walkway.

Registration for the Squaretail Summit is $20 including lunch and handouts.  Register by September 13, 2021 at ….

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for assuring that foods sold in the United States are safe, wholesome and properly labeled for either domestic or food from foreign countries, according to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The laws require that labels on food including produce be truthful and not misleading, but the laws don’t regulate definitions for all of the labels that you may see.

FDA Regulated Labels:

• Country of Origin: Perishable produce must be labeled with the country where it was grown.
• USDA Organic: This label indicates that the produce was produced on a certified farm that follows defined organic procedures, such as non-use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.
• Nutrition Facts Label: If packaging makes a claim about nutrients, the Food and Drug Administration requires a nutrition label.
• Excellent Source Of / High In: A label bearing this claim must contain at least 20 percent of the daily requirement of that nutrient in a serving. A “Good Source Of” label indicates that one serving has 10-19 percent of the daily dose of the named nutrient.
• Fresh: Fresh means that the food is in its raw state and has not been frozen or subjected to any form of thermal processing or any other form of preservation.

Unregulated Claims:

• Washed/Triple-Washed/Ready to Eat: Most produce gets a rinse prior to marketing. However, a washing claim may only mean that the produce has had dirt or grit removed. It is not a guarantee that it is bacteria-free.
• Pesticide-Free: This label could mean one of two things: 1) no pesticides were used during growing; or 2) pesticide residue has been washed away. There’s no real way to know unless it bears an organic label.
• Hydroponically Grown/Hydroponic: This label generally means that the produce was grown in a greenhouse using a nutrient solution instead of soil.
• Non-GMO: The only possible GMOs to be found in the produce aisles include potatoes, squash/pumpkins, papayas, sweet corn, and soy beans (edamame).
• Gluten Free: Fresh fruits and vegetables are naturally gluten free. This is a true claim but misleading in meaning.
• No Preservatives / Free from Artificial Ingredients: Preservatives or artificial ingredients are not usually added to fresh produce making this label misleading on nearly all produce.

Produce Code Stickers: The stickers on produce are for scanning the PLU (price look-up) number at the checkout and may share information about the produce. However, there are no governing or regulating laws and are voluntary by the producer.

• Four Digit Code: Produce with a four digit code beginning with a 3 or 4 means the produce was probably conventionally grown with the possible use of pesticides. The code for conventionally grown bananas is 4011.
• Five Digit Code beginning with “9”: Fruits and vegetables grown organically have a five digit code starting with a “9”. An organically grown banana’s PLU would be 94011.
• Five Digit Code beginning with “8”: Genetically modified produce (has genes from other organisms) stickers also have five digits, but these codes begin with the number “8.” Remember there only five items likely to be found in the produce aisles that have been genetically modified so this is a rarely seen code.

Article released July 5, 2021

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Herkimer County invites growers, farmers’ markets and agricultural businesses to learn about recent developments to promote local foods in our county.  Join us via ZOOM teleconference on Wednesday, October 28^th from 1:00 to 2:30pm as we hear from CCE staff and community members on current topics that will help make your local foods endeavor successful.

Topics include:

• Herkimer County’s new Farmland and Agriculture Protection Plan
• Invasive Species Update: Asian Jumping Worms
• Effective Marketing of Local Food Products
• Plans for New Farmers’ Markets in Herkimer County
• Open discussion about future Roundtable sessions

This is a great opportunity to learn about these issues and connect with other folks interested in promoting local food production, marketing and sales in Herkimer County!

The Local Foods Roundtable is free for all interested parties. Pre-registration is required. Register at this link: http://bit.ly/HCLFRoundtable20

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

For more information, call Garet Livermore at (315) 866-7920 or email GDL56@cornell.edu