Ronnybrook Farm recognized by NY State Grown & Certified program

PINE PLAINS — As part of the state’s latest initiative to promote New York’s dairy industry and increase awareness and consumption of local dairy products during Dairy Month, New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball paid a visit to Pine Plains last week. He took a tour of Ronnybrook Farm Dairy and examined its daily operations on Wednesday, June 13.

“It’s our effort to promote dairy farms,” said Jola Szubielski, director of Public Information for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. “We really just want to take the opportunity while we’re celebrating dairy nationally… to increase awareness and boost consumption, and we want to see if we can change that by marketing it.”

Beginning at 11 a.m., the tour included town Supervisor Darrah Cloud, Ronnybrook Farm Dairy family members and representatives from New York Farm Bureau, the Pine Plains FFA, Columbia County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 4-H, Dutchess County Soil and Water Conservation District and Hudson Valley AgriBusines Development Corp.

At the start of the tour, Rick Osofsky, one of the farm’s owners, went into great detail about the farm’s background and its operation.

Osofsky talked about the steps involved in pasteurizing the milk and how the culture process turns the farm’s milk into yogurt. Gesturing around the building, he pointed out the different equipment entailed in those operations.

Stepping into a smaller room, the group watched with interest through a window as a series of machines rotated empty glass bottles and plastic cartons that were promptly labeled, filled with milk, capped and sent off to be packaged.  Osofsky educated  guests about the history of homogenization and pasteurization and how it plays a role in the agriculture field. 

“What we’re advocates for is being local and the humane treatment of our animals,” he said.

“The dairy farm itself — and this is a great example — is such an epicenter of a rural community,” said Hudson Valley AgriBusiness Executive Director Todd Erling. “There’s a lot of moving parts here: the milk is the core and the farm is the story, but your presence is essential.”

On top of speaking highly of dairy farms in Dutchess County, Ball recognized dairy farms for their contributions to the state  and spoke of milk and its beneficial properties. He said he’s encouraging farmers to start thinking outside the box to market their farms.

Walking down to one of the farm’s main barns, FFA students didn’t hesitate to visit the rows of cows; the morning’s tourists did the same. Cows watched with mild interest. 

“June is Dairy Month and we want to make a fuss out of dairy,” Ball said.

He then presented Ronnybrook Farm Dairy with a certificate for the New York State Grown & Certified program. According to Szubielski, criteria for the voluntary program includes meeting the state’s environmental sustainability standard, clarifying to consumers that the farm’s products are local and making sure the farm is certified by New York state for food safety.

“I feel so fortunate that the New York State Department of Ag and Markets has taken this next step in trying to promote local farms,” Osofsky said days later. “We pride ourselves on being part of that effort and we look forward to joining lots of other New York state dairy farms in promoting New York dairy.”