2018 Empire Farm Days Winners Announced

Yates County Farm Family Wins Kubota RTV 400
Paul Martens of Penn Yan, N.Y. won the drawing for the Kubota RTV 400 sponsored by Kubota, Empire Farm Days, and Lamb and Webster equipment dealers. Martens operates a certified organic dairy farm milking approximately 50 cows and managing 300 acres with his wife Laura, son Andrew, and daughters Janet and Jennifer.
“I most certainly was surprised to learn I won the RTV,” Martens said. “It will replace a golf cart we have been using to move and fix fences for our rotational grazing system. I’m also thinking about how to mount a seeder I have to it to plant wheat and fall grains, and I’m sure the whole family can find a few more jobs for it.”
Martens’ daughters and their Penn Yan FFA club were among the volunteers helping with various activities at Empire Farm Days.
New York State FFA Tractor Safety Driving Contest Win Goes to Pioneer Student
Coordinator Jon Clayson of Pioneer Central School has announced the 2018 winners of the New York State FFA Tractor Driving Safety competition held at Empire Farm Days. They are:
- Senior Division for 16-18-year-olds: Patrick Fontaine, Pioneer Central School
- Junior Division for 14-16-year-olds: Owen Williams, Waterville Central School
- 4-H Division: Joshua McGall, Wayne County
The winner earns the right to compete at the Eastern States Exposition held in Springfield, Massachusetts. Sponsors of the Empire Farm Days contest were Case International, John Deer, Kubota, New Holland, H and S Farm Equipment, the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health, Java Farm Supply, Lamb and Webster, and the New York FFA Foundation.
Otselic Valley Student Wins 2018 New York State FFA Welding Competition
Contest coordinators Johanna Fox-Bossard of Hamilton Central School and Professor Fred Bach of Morrisville State College have announced the winners of the 2018 New York State FFA Welding competition held at Empire Farm Days. They are:
- 1st Place: Justin Rodda, Otselic Valley Central School
- 2nd Place: Patrick Fontaine, Pioneer Central School
- 3rd Place: Evan Liskow, Randolph Central School
- High Team: Tallon Delahoy and Evan Liskow, Randolph Central School
The top three students earn scholarship funds from Morrisville State College: first place $1,000, second place $750, and third place $500. Haun Welding, Briggs and Stratton Power Products of Munnsville, and Morrisville State College sponsored the 2018 competition.
Hamilton Student Named 2018 Empire State Potato Growers Scholar
The Empire State Potato Growers, Inc. recognized Megan Ruth Lamb of Hamilton, N.Y. as the 2018 Empire State Potato Growers Scholar at the 2018 Empire Farm Days Leader Luncheon event. Ms. Lamb was a member of the Stockbridge Valley Central School FFA, served as New York State FFA Vice-President, and was one of four finalits for the 2017 National FFA Proficiency Award for Agriscience Research in Plant Systems. She receives a $500 scholarship per academic year for up to four consecutive years of agricultural education at a college in New York State.
Schuyler County Farm Named 2018 AEM Award Winners
David and Beverly Stamp of Lakewood Farm and Lakewood Vineyards in Watkins Glen, N.Y., were honored as the 2018 New York State Agricultural Environmental Management Award winners at the Empire Farm Days luncheon event. The award recognizes a New York State farm for outstanding efforts to protect the environment and ensure the next generation of farming through the preservation of soil and water quality. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Empire State Potato Growers, and American Agriculturist magazine jointly sponsor the award.
Empire Farm Days is the largest outdoor agricultural trade show in the northeastern U.S. It is held each August at Rodman Lott and Son Farms in Seneca Falls, NY. The 2019 show dates are August 6, 7, and 8, 2019. Watch www.empirefarmdays.com for details.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
- Empire Farm Days Show Manager Alexandra Grimm, 877-697-7837, alex@empirefarmdays.com
- EFD Publicist Kara Lynn Dunn, 315-465-7578, karalynn@gisco.net