S
YRACUSE, N.Y. –”Back to School, Sports, and Play… You’re Gonna Need Milk For That” is the theme of the 53rd Annual Butter Sculpture at the New York State Fair. This year’s three-part, butter masterpiece depicts teens in a school cafeteria, on a soccer field, and at home gaming. The scenes illustrate that whether in school, participating in sports or at play with their friends, dairy products are an important component of meals and snacks offering essential nutrients to power learning and fuel physical activities.
“You’re Gonna Need Milk For That” is a national industry campaign led by milk processors and supported by New York dairy farmers to reinforce the role milk plays in powering performance on and off the athletic field.
Since 2008, dairy farmers have supported New York’s high school athletes through their sponsorship of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) and their championships.
The sculpture was constructed over a 10-day period by artists Jim Victor and Marie Pelton of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, using more than 800 pounds of butter from O-AT-KA Milk Products in Western New York. This is the 1th9 consecutive year Victor and Pelton have created the Butter Sculpture at the New York State Fair.
After the Fair, the sculpture will be deconstructed, with assistance from the Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, and transported to Noblehurst Farms in Linwood, N.Y., where it will be recycled in a methane digester to create renewable energy.
