Last updated on August 29th, 2019
“Milk. Love What’s Real” is the theme of the 51st Annual Butter Sculpture at the New York State Fair. The sculpture portrays a grandfather and child dunking cookies in milk and a young couple sharing a milkshake.
The American Dairy Association North East Butter Sculpture, sponsored by Wegmans, also depicts the important role that real cow’s milk plays in memorable family experiences.
“When we create meals, we create memories and real dairy is there,” said Joel Riehlman of Venture Farms in Fabius, New York. “From the ice cream at a child’s birthday party, to our cheese pizza on Friday night, to the milk in our lattes every morning, milk plays an important role in our everyday lives.”
New York State ranks fourth nationally for milk production and dairy is the top agricultural product in the state, accounting for 47 percent—or more than $2.5 billion—of all agricultural products sold statewide. “Milk. Love What’s Real” is a national industry campaign led by milk processors and supported by local dairy farmers.
“Wegmans is proud to sponsor this year’s Butter Sculpture, which is such an integral part of the New York State Fair,” said Evelyn Ingram, director of community relations at Wegmans Food Markets. “We are delighted to join this long-standing tradition.”
Artists Jim Victor and Marie Pelton of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, constructed the sculpture using more than 800 pounds of butter from O-AT-KA Milk Products in Western New York. This is the 17th consecutive year Victor and Pelton have created the Butter Sculpture at the New York State Fair.
After the Fair, the sculpture will be deconstructed, with assistance from the Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, and transported to Noblehurst Farms in Linwood, New York, where it will be recycled in a methane digester to create electricity and liquid fertilizer for crops.
