Holstein Club is the place to be

 

 

 

PINE PLAINS — For students interested in agriculture, the Eastern New York Junior Holstein Club is the place to be. The club held a banquet Nov. 15 at Copolla’s Restaurant in Hyde Park.

The club includes students from both Dutchess and Columbia counties who work with Holstein cows and participate in showings at local fairs.

Debbie Phillips, who is on the Agricultural Advisory Committee, reported that new officers are elected at the annual banquet, but that most positions stayed the same, with a few new openings.

Coming up in the new year will be a convention held in Corning on Jan. 17, 18 and 19, for both the junior and senior Holstein Clubs.

There will be a DJM (Distinguished Junior Member) award that students all over the state will compete for, as well as All New York awards that pertain to cows and how well they place, dairy bowl contests, and production awards for the cows, as well as an annual meeting.

"Last year our club hosted the convention in Albany," Phillips said, who added that there will be fun activities such as dances for the students.

While the Holstein Clubs hold their convention in the winter, the FFA holds a national convention in the fall (this year, Pine Plains didn’t have any students attend), as well as a state convention in May.

In other FFA news, two students were involved in helping with town decorations. While Decorating Day was officially last Saturday, Nov. 29, on Nov. 15 trees had to be set up and on Nov. 22 all the electrical wiring was put in place.

"The Pine Plains Business Association has been running Decorating Day," Phillips said. "We try to get FFA and other local civic groups to come out and participate."

Phillips also mentioned that the Agricultural Advisory Committee has funded FFA trips this year, including a busing issue with the school, which is currently on a contingency budget.

"We’re picking up the tab so the kids can go," she said.

Latest News

Join us for


 

  

Keep ReadingShow less
Summer Nights of Canaan

Wednesday, July 16

Cobbler n’ Cream
5 to 7 p.m.
Freund’s Farm Market & Bakery | 324 Norfolk Rd.

Canaan Carnival
6 to 10 p.m.
Bunny McGuire Park

Keep ReadingShow less
When the guide gets it wrong

Rosa setigera is a native climbing rose whose simple flowers allow bees to easily collect pollen.

Dee Salomon

After moving to West Cornwall in 2012, we were given a thoughtful housewarming gift: the 1997 edition of “Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs.” We were told the encyclopedic volume was the definitive gardener’s reference guide — a fact I already knew, having purchased one several months earlier at the recommendation of a gardener I admire.

At the time, we were in the thick of winter invasive removal, and I enjoyed reading and dreaming about the trees and shrubs I could plant to fill in the bare spots where the bittersweet, barberry, multiflora rose and other invasive plants had been.Years later, I purchased the 2011 edition, updated and inclusive of plants for warm climates.

Keep ReadingShow less
A few highlights from Upstate Art Weekend 2025

Foxtrot Farm & Flowers’ historic barn space during UAW’s 2024 exhibition entitled “Unruly Edges.”

Brian Gersten

Art lovers, mark your calendars. The sixth edition of Upstate Art Weekend (UAW) returns July 17 to 21, with an exciting lineup of exhibitions and events celebrating the cultural vibrancy of the region. Spanning eight counties and over 130 venues, UAW invites residents and visitors alike to explore the Hudson Valley’s thriving creative communities.

Here’s a preview of four must-see exhibitions in the area:

Keep ReadingShow less