By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

With sunny skies and a light breeze, June 21 was a great day to make hay. But several area farmers took a few minutes to gather with local officials at Tre-G Farms in Pompey to celebrate the start of the fourth annual Onondaga Grown campaign.

The campaign, which lasts through October, uses radio and TV ads as well as social media to encourage Central New Yorkers to support local farms and restaurants that use locally grown ingredients.

“You’re going to hear it all over the airwaves,” said Dave Knapp, 12th District Onondaga County Legislator and co-chair of the Onondaga County Agriculture Council. “The message is clear: ‘Buy local. Buy Onondaga Grown.’ Support the 650 farmers in Onondaga County.”

Since its inception in 2015, Onondaga Grown has expanded from a grassroots ad campaign to an organization dedicated to showing Central New Yorkers where their food comes from and showing appreciation for the farmers who feed the region.

Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney called agriculture a “thriving economic engine” that is once again gaining the recognition it deserves. The county ranks 10th in New York state agriculture, generating a $300 million economy, and has 150,000 acres of farmland. While Onondaga Grown celebrates that success, Mahoney also reflected on what could have been.

“Unfortunately, since 1965, this county has lost half its farmland,” she said. “We have a $300 million economy. Can you imagine what we would have?”

Nevertheless, agriculture is still a powerful force in Central New York. Not only do farmers generate millions of dollars in vegetables, meat and dairy products, but they hold quite a bit of purchasing power as well.

Harvey Skeele, co-chair of the Onondaga County Agriculture Council and a retired dairy farmer, said there are 200 livestock farms in the county. These farms are home to 25,000 dairy cows and another 20,000 replacement heifers.

“Dairy surely is important to this county and I’m proud to be a part of that,” Skeele said.

Skeele noted that farmland generates property tax revenue for area municipalities and the county and farmers spend a lot of money to operate and improve their businesses.

“You don’t throw down a bale of hay and a scoop of grain and let them out to pasture anymore,” he said. “Some farms have waterbeds or special mattresses. They spend a lot on cow comfort.”

Area farmers also invest in cutting-edge technology, such as robotic milking machines that allow dairy cows to be milked when they feel like it instead of being restricted to the traditional twice-a-day schedule. Such technology also reduces labor costs and frees up farmers for other chores.

“We always get a lot of calls from farmers at 5 o’clock in the morning and we always ask, ‘How are the girls doing?’ They like to have the radio on in the barn,” said Tom Owens, who along with Becky Palmer co-hosts the morning show on local country music station B104.7. The station is owned by Onondaga Grown partner iHeartMedia.

Owens said farming is intertwined with everyday life in CNY.

“Farms and music go together,” he said. “I’m really glad they connected me with this event today.”

At the Onondaga Grown kickoff, Owens picked up his guitar and joined local country singer Steven Cali for a few songs. Cali’s guitar was emblazoned with a green and yellow “Thank a Farmer” sticker.

Cali, who hails from Auburn, is a turkey farmer for Plainville Farms. He recently released an EP titled “American Farmers” and opened for Rodney Atkins at Jam at the Ridge on June 16. Cali has several area shows lined up as well.

“Nashville’s knocking, and we want to see you while you’re here,” Owens told Cali between songs.

In addition to celebrating homegrown talent, Owens stressed the benefits of buying local, which include having the freshest food and reducing one’s carbon footprint.

“You can buy it right here locally instead of [having produce come] from Mexico or South America, and all the money goes back to support local farmers,” he said.

Also at the kickoff, Onondaga Grown organizers announced the date of the third annual ONFarm Fest. The festival takes place Sept. 22 and boasts 11 stops on its tour of local producers. In comparison, the 2016 ONFarm Fest featured seven farms.

“We made sure we strategically located them around the county to make sure if you can’t get to all of them, at least you can get to one,” Knapp said.

New this year is an interactive map on the Onondaga Grown website. Users can type in their zip code for a list of farmers markets, pick-your-own berry patches, retailers, breweries and restaurants near where they live.

Retailers can request a free media kit with posters, window clings and Onondaga Grown stickers by visiting onondagagrown.com/contact.

Keep an eye and ear out for Onondaga Grown ads on local TV, social media and iHeartRadio stations. To learn more about the campaign, visit onondagagrown.com.