Cayuga County agency operates NY State Fair Milk Bar

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County is in its third year running the Milk Bar inside the fair’s Dairy Products Building. The agency hires staff and is responsible for filling cups of milk for fairgoers. The state Department of Agriculture and Markets oversees the upper part of the Milk Bar, which includes the tanks holding the milk. 

Dan Welch, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County, told The Citizen that the state contacted the extension system shortly before the 2022 fair and asked if they would be interested in operating the Milk Bar. 

“Part of it is the leadership of the fair and at (the state Department of Agriculture and Markets) feels very strongly that the milk at the Milk Bar should remain 25 cents, which made it difficult for a private vendor to earn a profit on that,” Welch said. 

New York State Dairy Exhibits operated the Milk Bar for 60 years, but pulled out before the 2017 fair because of a dispute with the state over the milk price. The nonprofit attempted to raise the price from 25 to 50 cents for a cup of milk, but then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo intervened to keep it at 25 cents. 

Three longtime fair vendors — Wahid Akl, David and Michael Tadros — took over the Milk Bar and added electronic kiosks to shorten wait times. Sponsorships generated additional revenue for the Milk Bar. 

When Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County began as the Milk Bar’s operator in 2022, Welch said it combined the agency’s education mission with a workforce development component. 

The extension hires 40 teens, ages 15 to 19, to work at the Milk Bar during the 13-day fair. Before the fair, employees participated in workforce development training that lasted six days, according to Welch. 

“For many of these youth, this is their first job,” he said. “We go over some basic things — being on time, customer service. We go over with them some of the most common questions customers will have about the milk. We partnered with a financial institution this year to do some financial literacy because, again, for many of these kids, it’s the first time they’re getting a paycheck.”

The pre-fair training also includes educating students about dairy production and processing. The group toured three Cayuga County dairy farms and Cornell’s processing facilities in Geneva and Ithaca. 

One goal of the initiative is to encourage workers to consider careers in agriculture.

“It doesn’t just have to be the production side that needs folks,” Welch said. “On the processing side, looking at just here in Cayuga County and the need that there will be as Cayuga Milk expands and will need more workers in the future. For some of these kids, hopefully it sparks an interest.” 

Sara Welsh, of Marcellus, is one of the 40 students participating in the program and working at the Milk Bar. She was involved with the 4-H program when she was younger. Her sister got a job at the Milk Bar in 2022, the first year the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County operated the stand. 

“The next year, I was like ‘I want to work here, too,'” she said. 

Welsh worked opening day and the lines weren’t as long, mainly because of the weather affecting attendance. Being an experienced Milk Bar employee, she knew it would get busier — and it has. The fair drew more than 160,000 attendees during the first weekend of its 13-day run.

The Milk Bar serves an average of 25,000 cups of milk daily during the fair. For most days, there are two options: regular and chocolate milk. Chocolate milk is, by far, the favorite. But this changes during the last weekend of the fair when strawberry milk replaces white milk. Welch said sales of chocolate and strawberry milk are about the same — as long as supplies last. In 2022, the strawberry milk sold out in 36 hours. 

Scheduling and complying with state-mandated breaks are among the challenges the agency faces in operating the Milk Bar. Welch said they “overcame a learning curve” keeping all stations filled at the Milk Bar during the first two years. 

Although the fair’s run lasts 13 days, the planning process to run the Milk Bar takes months. Light planning begins in the fall, Welch said, and will ramp up in the spring. They begin the hiring process, determine what will be part of the workforce development program and test the token machines. 

With the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County in its third year operating the Milk, the agency received positive reviews from State Fair Director Julie LaFave. 

“They don’t just use it as a way to run the Milk Bar for 13 days,” LaFave told The Citizen. “They actually turn it into a summer youth employment jobs plan. They do a slow buildup with field trips, job skills and workforce development… They’re a great partner.” 

The state fair will support the extension by making improvements to the Milk Bar. The project is in the design phase, according to LaFave, with plans to have the new Milk Bar ready in the next year or two. One potential addition will be the ability to serve three flavors at a time. 

For Welch, running the Milk Bar supports New York agriculture and continues a state fair tradition.

“One of the things for us is, with Cayuga County being the number one dairy county in New York state, it’s a great opportunity for us to not only know we’re helping farmers on the production side but we’re interacting with customers at the fair,” he said. “It is really cool when you’re behind the bar and you see everybody, from little kids to their grandparents, having a cup of almost ice cold milk and really enjoying it.” 

The Milk Bar is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The fair runs through Labor Day, Sept. 2.