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Empire State Agriculture New York agriculture heralds diversity – from dairy cows to grapes to potatoes. The state of New York ranks third in U.S. milk production, behind California and Wisconsin. Its cows generate nearly 7% of the nation’s milk supply. In 2006, the state’s dairy herd of 638,000 cows produced 12,045 million pounds (5,420 million kilograms) of milk. The state has nearly 6,000 dairy farms, with the average farm having 109 milking cows. More than 1,000 farms in New York raise milking goats. New York goat milk is used to produce specialty cheeses and fluid milk. New York’s 1,500 maple syrup producers generate 253,000 gallons (961,400 liters) of maple syrup annually. The state is the country’s third largest maple syrup producer, behind Vermont and Maine. The third largest cabbage-producing state in the United States, New York grows more than 410 million pounds (185 million kilograms) of cabbage and 523 million pounds (235 million kilograms) of potatoes – putting it 14th in the United States for potato production. New York is the nation’s third largest grape and wine producer. There are five major wineproducing regions in the state – Finger Lakes, Long Island, Hudson River, Lake Erie and Niagara Escarpment. More than 200 wineries produce nearly 200 million bottles annually. |