Dairy Day at the Capitol

ALBANY, 06/05/19 - State Senator James L. Seward (R/C/I/Ref–Oneonta) met today with dairy producers and advocates for farming during the 2019 Legislative Dairy Day in Albany.  Newly crowned Delaware County Dairy Princess Theresa Cerosaletti of Davenport and second alternate New York State Princess Morgan Hungerford of East Meredith along with representatives from Chobani Greek Yogurt in New Berlin were among those on hand for the event.

“Agriculture is our state’s number one industry.  It is vital to our economy and our way of life,” said Senator Seward.  “As someone who has grown up in a part of New York that relies on and values agriculture, I understand the importance of our dairy industry and Legislative Dairy Day is a great way to spread that message to the rest of our state representatives.”

Senator Seward is a consistent winner of the New York State Farm Bureau’s “Circle of Friends” award and has served on the Senate Agriculture Committee for much of his tenure in the senate.  He has consistently fought for legislation to help farmers and worked to ensure programs benefiting New York’s dairy industry receive state support. 

In 2018, Senator Seward championed innovative legislation allowing the sale of ice cream made with beer and hard cider.  Senator Seward’s bill (S.8830), which was signed into law, was proposed by Gilligan’s in Sherburne (Chenango County) allowing for development of a new product line that combines dairy, craft beer, and hard cider.   

“Our agriculture industry is a vital component of New York’s economy and companies large and small throughout my senate district are keeping the long-standing farming tradition alive.  Educational programs like FFA and the cooperative extension are also integral to future success.  I will continue to work with our ag businesses and area schools to ensure the dairy industry and other farming interests are able to flourish and grow for generations to come,” added Seward.

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