EDGE study examines Oneida County’s dairy industry

Protecting and growing the Mohawk Valley’s dairy industry is the focus of a study, administered by Mohawk Valley EDGE, that will look at where the industry stands today and what it needs to flourish

“This started last year,” Tim Fitzgerald, VP of economic development at EDGE, noted. The topic was first raised by Oneida County Administrator Anthony J. Picente, Jr. in his 2023 State of the County address. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2022 Agriculture Census, the number of dairy farms in New York state fell by almost 1,900 from 2017. In that timeframe, Oneida County has gone from 159 farms to just 90. “It’s important to ensure this valuable part of our economy is sustainable for the next generation and beyond,” Fitzgerald says. The study will help ensure it stays that way. EDGE is administering the project, which was commissioned by the Oneida County Department of Planning. A request for proposals for a private consultant was issued in late 2023, and EDGE awarded the contract in July to New Venture Advisors, LLC, of Chicago. Of the project’s three main goals, the first is to understand the current state of dairy farming in Oneida County including the number of farms, the number of cows, and even how much milk is produced. The second goal is an in-depth evaluation of dairy processing in the county. “Right within Oneida County, you have processors like H.P. Hood,” Fitzgerald says. Some farms, like Collins Farm and Creamery in Sauquoit, do their own on-site processing. EDGE was able to help Collins obtain processing equipment with a microenterprise grant.

“Some of those products could be made through value-added investments right on the farm,” Fitzgerald says. There are also large-scale processors outside the county including Chobani to the south, Kraft to the north, Byrne Dairy to the west, and Fage to the east. The study will examine the role those large processors play now — and could play in the future — for the county’s dairy industry. The third goal of the study is to identify sites that could be utilized for dairy processing including identifying infrastructure needs and proximity to dairy farms, Fitzgerald notes. Through the study, EDGE expects to connect with an array of producers and processors to gather robust data. “Obviously, we’re going to let the data drive where this goes,” he says of the study and what happens next. However, with anticipated increased demand from those big processors, it just makes sense for Oneida County to get all its cows in a row, so to speak, so it’s prepared, especially as processed dairy products continue to grow in popularity. “We want to be aware of what that plan is so we can position Central New York for some investment,” Fitzgerald says. “We want to position our community to experience growth.” The entire study is expected to take between 12 and 15 months to complete, and EDGE is working on firming up the timeline and the deliverables expected. “This is something that will be able to deliver some results to the community next year,” he says. According to the Agriculture Census, 98 percent of farms in New York remain family owned. The total number of farms of all types fell from 33,438 to 30,650. The average net farm income is $76,281. The average producer age is 56.7 years old, and the number of farmers under the age of 35 declined from 6,718 to 6,335.