PA Farm Show Butter Sculpture Recycling Shows Positive Impact Dairy Farmers Have on Planet

Juniata County Dairy Farm Turns 1,000 Pound Sculpture Into Renewable Energy

HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Pennsylvania Farm Show’s 33rd butter sculpture, “Table for All: Pennsylvania Dairy Connects Communities,” celebrated the important connection between the Commonwealth’s farmers and their local communities through the wholesome food that they produce.

The deconstruction and recycling of the 1,000 pounds of butter showcases how dairy farmers make a positive impact on the planet.

American Dairy Association North East and the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program, in conjunction with Reinford Farms and the Friendship Community 4-H Club of Dauphin County, dismantled the 1,000-pound sculpture today at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center. Dairy farmer Brett Reinford then transported the 1,000 pounds of butter to his dairy farm in Mifflintown, Pa.

Among the 1,350 acres of land and 750 cows at Reinford Farms are two methane digesters.  The butter, along with thousands of pounds of food waste from nearby retailers, is broken down in the digester to create renewable energy. In the course of one year, the Reinfords divert about 50,000 tons of food waste from landfills, turning it into a resource while also reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

“It’s the perfect example of a sustainable and cyclical operation,” said Brett Reinford. “Our digesters provide an ideal solution for our farm and retailers to turn waste into energy.”

“The Shapiro Administration is pleased to join American Dairy Association North East and the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program in introducing hundreds of thousands of PA Farm Show visitors to Pennsylvania dairy farmers like the Reinford family,” Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “The Reinford family is a vivid example of PA dairy farmers who are not just working hard to feed our families, but are feeding our futures by the way they do business.”

About American Dairy Association North East

The American Dairy Association North East (ADANE) is the local affiliate of the National Dairy Council® and the regional consolidation of three promotion organizations including the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council, Inc., Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program. Committed to nutrition education and research-based communications, ADANE provides science-based nutrition information to, and in collaboration with, a variety of stakeholders committed to fostering a healthier nation, including health professionals, educators, school nutrition directors, academia, industry, consumers, and media. Funded by dairy checkoff dollars from more than 9,000 dairy farm families in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and northern Virginia, ADANE works closely with Dairy Management Inc.™ to bring a fully integrated promotion program to the North East region.  For more information, visit AmericanDairy.com

About Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program (PDPP)

The Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program is the farmer-directed organization funded by participating dairy farmers to build demand and sales for milk and dairy foods throughout Pennsylvania. Managed by American Dairy Association North East, Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program develops and implements local programs to drive milk and dairy sales at retail outlets and in schools. The organizations also conduct consumer education about dairy through events, traditional and social media, and in collaboration with health professionals through National Dairy Council®. For more information, visit www.americandairy.com/pennsylvania-dairy-promotion-program/ or call 315.472.9143.

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SOURCE American Dairy Association North East