FARM IN THE NEWS

Whitney Point farm family helps state promote agriculture's bounty

Judi Whittaker feeds one of the calves at Whittaker Farms in Whitney Point.


WHITNEY POINT - You won't find it on most calendars, and Hallmark hasn't put out a line of cards to celebrate it.

But March 21 is Agriculture Literacy Day in New York state, and to Judi Whittaker of Whitney Point, that's a big deal.

The goal of this new "holiday" is to increase the awareness and understanding of agriculture by having volunteers read a book - this year, it's Extra Cheese Please: Mozzarella's Journey from Cow to Pizza - to second-graders around the state. The books will then become part of the schools' libraries, says Nancy Schaff, director of New York Ag in the Classroom.

She's encouraging every second-grade class in New York to participate in Agriculture Literacy Day. New York Ag in the Classroom is the product of a partnership between Cornell University, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the state Departments of Agriculture and Markets and Education, as well as the New York Farm Bureau.

Elementary school kids can learn more through the Be Aware of New York Agriculture Contest, also sponsored by New York Ag in the Classroom, by submitting their art, posters, stories, poems and slogans.

Whittaker will tote a copy of Extra Cheese Please: Mozzarella's Journey from Cow to Pizza to the Discovery Center in Binghamton, where she'll read to the assembled children.

Agriculture is a topic particularly near and dear to her heart. She and her family own and run a dairy farm on Route 26.

"We milk 300 Holsteins," says Whittaker, 43. She wasn't a farm girl growing up in Whitney Point, but when she married Scott Whittaker, her fate was sealed. The farm has been in his family since 1915. Their three children and a daughter-in-law, as well as six employees, all work on the farm.

A contingent from Whittaker Farms will find themselves in unusual surroundings in a few weeks at an event called Farm Days at the Oakdale Mall, March 24-26.

"We take cows and their calves and milk them right there at Center Court in the mall," Whittaker says.

She's no stranger to talking to the public about farming. Last year, she and three volunteers spoke to 7,000 elementary school students in Broome County in one week during their lunch period, encouraging them to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

Now she's gearing up for this new special event.

"I'm trying to recruit some volunteers to go into classes and read," she says. Teachers also are welcome to call Schaff if they'd like someone to come into their classrooms and read.

This may not be as big a holiday as, say, Groundhog Day, but it is significant.

"Those of us in production agriculture realize it's important for us to reach future consumers