Pick up beef recipes and watch cooking demos every hour at Dairy building.
Allen Van Garder, who is working for the Monanfran Farm in Canastota working on "Slam Dunk" who is in the holstein competition at the New York State Fair.Geddes, NY -- Today (Aug. 31) is Beef Day at the fair and the day won’t be complete without a visit to the beef cattle building.
Be sure to talk to the farmers there, who will discuss their breed and what they do to ensure consumers have good quality steaks, roasts and hamburger to eat.
Jacquelyn Chotkowski, of Spring Flight Farm outside Elmira, Chemung County, Monday showed off her Scottish Highlands, which she calls "a very durable, hearty breed." She has 150 head and sells the beef to restaurants, individuals and farmers markets.
Also go to the New York Beef Industry Council booth in the Dairy Products building and pick up some delicious beef and veal recipes and watch cooking demonstrations every hour.
Also today, Pulaski in Oswego County will vie with nine other municipalities for the title "Best Tasting Water in New York State."
The annual Best Tasting Water in New York state contest begins at 12:30 p.m. behind the state Department of Environmental Conservation building, the public will serve as judges in blind taste tests featuring samples from 10 public water supplies.
Final results will be available about 4 p.m.
Contestants are: Pulaski; Afton (Chenango County); Clifton Park Water Authority (Saratoga County); Albany (Albany County); Clymer Water Authority (Chautauqua County); Bolton Point (Tompkins County); Dix Hills Water District (Suffolk County); New York City; Ovid (Seneca County); and St. Johnsville (Montgomery County).
Today also is the second Senior Day, with folks age 60 and older getting in free. And tram rides are free today.
Tim Tracy, of Camillus, has been driving a tram at the state fair for six year.
"It’s the best job I’ve ever had," he said. Even though he drives around and around the circular tram route over and over again, he loves it because he gets "to meet and talk with lots of different people."
Most days, the tram is only $2 to ride it all day.
YNN Channel defended its title Monday in the Celebrity Media Milkshake Making Contest on Dairy Day.
YNN won with a milkshake made with lemonade mix. Each team had a special ingredient given to them that they had to put in their milkshake. The special ingredients were tapioca, frosted mini-wheats cereal, ginger snaps, Tang and wheat germ.
Kathryn Boor, the new dean of the Cornell University ag college and an expert in food safety and food pathogens, was at the state fair Monday and talked a bit about food safety.
She said while consumers are concerned about the two recent beef recalls and the massive egg recall, they also must take responsibility in keeping themselves safe.
"The really important thing to come out of this is no consumer should ever take the safety of food for granted," she said. She said foods should be handled appropriately and always cooked thoroughly before eating.
For hamburger, that means no red or pink inside and cooked to 160 degrees for an internal temperature. Only irradiated ground beef (that has been treated with a high dosage of energy to kill bacteria) can be eaten medium or rare, she said.
Boor also said the "silver lining to all the anxiety" about the recalls is the quality of control through the production process is scrutinized and improved and consumers become more aware of what they’re eating.
Contact Debra J. Groom at dgroom@syracuse.com, 470-3254 or 251-5586