New York Sea Grant Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White at Empire Farm Days. Credit: Allison Chatrchyan, Cornell University.

Contacts:

. Ryan Kennedy, Morgan Marine, P: 315-536-8166
. David G. White, New York Sea Grant, E: dgw9@cornell.edu, P: 315-312-3042
. Jamie Meyer, Empire Farm Days Show Manager, E: mwickham@empirefarmdays.com, P: 877-697-7837
. Publicist Kara Lynn Dunn, E: karalynn@gisco.net, P: 315-465-7578

Seneca Falls, NY, August 12, 2019 - Ever wanted to try a standup paddleboard, pedal-drive kayak or something called the Corcl? Do you remember to always wear a life vest on the water?

Visitors to the 2019 Empire Farm Days were able to do just that on the farm pond at the agricultural trade show and rural living event that ran last week (from August 6th to 8th) at Rodman Lott and Son Farms in Seneca Falls, NY.


New York boating safety educators united to provide water safety training at the 2019 Empire Farm Days agricultural trade show and rural living showcase at Rodman Lott and Son Farms in Seneca Falls, NY. Clockwise from upper left: Gene Little, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary; Dave White, New York Sea Grant; Oliver Robinson and Rosaria DiSanto, New York State Parks Marine Services Unit. Each person is wearing a different type of life vest that was described and demonstrated on the pond at the event. Credit: Empire Farm Days.


What's a Corcl? Visitors tried out this round boat at the Empire Farm Days pond.


Morgan Marine of Penn Yan, NY, hosted the paddlesports equipment tryouts. Life vests were provided for all tryouts. Parents signed permission for those younger than age 18.  

Prior to the daily equipment tryouts, New York Sea Grant, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and New York State Marine Services Bureau personnel presented 15-minute in-water safety demonstrations with different styles of approved life saving devices and paddlesport vessels. Those demos were held 10 am, 12 pm and 2 pm on Tuesday (8/6) and Wednesday (8/7), and at 10 am and 12 pm on Thursday (8/8). 

While visitors checked out the paddlesports equipment at the Morgan Marine booth at Lot #300, they were also able to register to win a free Boating Safety education course for a family of four with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary at the New York Sea Grant exhibit next to the pond. The exhibit included the New York State Marine Services Bureau Boating Safety Trailer and information on how boaters can reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species. 


USCGA member Gene Little, left, describes the various styles of USCG-approved life preservers worn by demonstrators with Morgan Marine, New York Sea Grant, and the New York State Parks Marine Services Unit on the pond at the 2019 Empire Farm Days in Seneca Falls, NY. Credit: Empire Farm Days.

Empire Farm Days is an agricultural trade show and rural living event with working farm equipment demonstrations, crop plots, educational seminars, live animals, farm safety and country living exhibits. Show hours for this free event were 9 am to 5 pm Tuesday (8/6) and Wednesday (8/7), and 9 am to 4 pm Thursday (8/8). Learn more at www.empirefarmdays.com.

On YouTube: Experiencing Empire Farm Days



—By Laura Hand, CNYCentral / NBC3

Seneca Falls, NY, August 4, 2019 - It is the largest outdoor agriculture show in the Northeast: 300 acres full of tents, animals and interactive exhibits, not to mention food (BBQ and more!). Empire Farm Days is a look at what's new and trending in the agriculture industry, but there's also lots to see even if you're not a 'farmer.'

The show is a showcase of rural living,and includes something for all ages. Show manager Jamie Meyer says animals, including lots of horses and several breeds of cattle, will be on display. She says you can try out several of the 'vehicles' on display, including compact tractors (perfect for yard-sized land) and even pond equipment like kayaks and paddleboards. Drones will also be putting on demonstrations on crop spraying.

Empire Farm Days returns to the Lott & Son Farms in Seneca Falls on Rte 414. It runs Tuesday (August 6th) and Wednesday 9-5, Thursday 9-4. Admission is free, but there's a $10 per car parking fee.

More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York (SUNY), is one of 33 university-based programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program.

Since 1971, NYSG has represented a statewide network of integrated research, education and extension services promoting coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness and understanding about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources.

Through NYSG’s efforts, the combined talents of university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science-based information to many coastal user groups—businesses and industries, federal, state and local government decision-makers and agency managers, educators, the media and the interested public.

The program maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Oswego and the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University in Long Island, Brooklyn College and Cornell Cooperative Extension in NYC and Kingston in the Hudson Valley.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube links. NYSG offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published quarterly. Our program also produces an occasional e-newsletter,"NOAA Sea Grant's Social Media Review," via its blog, www.nyseagrant.org/blog.