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Farm Bureau hosts 7th annual Pride of Chautauqua

BATAVIA – Chautauqua County Farm Bureau will host its seventh annual Pride of Chautauqua event on April 6 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Fluvanna Fire Hall in Jamestown. This event will showcase some of the area’s finest agricultural products, offer hands-on activities for children, feature live cooking and food preparation demonstrations and culminate in a sampling of dishes that include local foods donated by Chautauqua County farmers.

There will be activities and presentations all afternoon, including live animal and nursery demonstrations, presentations from the CCE Master Gardener Program, and many hands-on kids activities.

There will also be a drawing at the end of the event to win a gift basket filled with locally grown and made products.

“We believe that a strong and viable agricultural industry is beneficial to our economy, and also to our local communities,” said Karen Barie, chair of the Pride of Chautauqua Planning Committee and Farm Bureau vice president. “This event is a way to not only showcase Chautauqua County’s agricultural industry, but also to take pride in what this area has to offer: safe, local and convenient access to home grown products. Featured will be growers of local vegetables, fruit, eggs, wine, meat, cheeses, nursery and garden supplies; maple products and bakery items.”

A highlight of this event is always the chef prepared food that’s created using locally-grown products. Robert Cross and the staff from 3 C’s Catering in Kennedy will be preparing this year’s sampling. “We thought it was important to show how easy it is to buy local and enjoy local,” Barie said. “People need to see that they too can make the exact same thing in their own home.” Local producers will have their products on display to sample and purchase, and will be on hand to answer questions about their operations in greater detail.

According to Barie, the primary benefit of this event is to increase people’s knowledge that quality products are available to them in their own backyards and also to encourage support and membership for our local Farm Bureau.

“You hear more and more issues every year regarding food safety concerns that affect the health and well being of your family. People are much more aware and conscious of the safety of their foods and where their food was produced. Buying local is the easiest way to secure a safe, known food source for your family, and there is nothing like fresh from the farm taste. More and more Chautauqua County Schools are adding locally grown foods to their school lunch programs, which are cheaper, fresher, and help promote our local economy,” she said.

Chautauqua County ranks first in the state for the number of farms and fifth for land in farms. With over 1,500 farms, agriculture in our county continues to be a leading industry, with annual sales of a hundred million dollars.

Thank you to our corporate sponsors of this event: Cargill Animal Nutrition; Lake Erie Grape Discovery Center; Farm Credit East; Wegmans Food Markets; Nationwide Insurance; Z & M Ag and Turf; Shults Auto Group; Webb’s Captains Table Restaurant; Cornell Cooperative Extension and Militello Farm Supply.

Farm Bureau is a non-governmental, volunteer organization financed and controlled by families for the purpose of solving economical and public policy issues challenging the agriculture industry.

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