GOT GUERNSEYS?
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Contests, farm tours and fun social events are all part of the weeklong National Guernsey Convention scheduled for June 26 to July 1 in Saratoga Springs.
More than 350 people from throughout the U.S. are expected for the event, based at the Saratoga Hilton Hotel.
Guernseys comprise less than one percent of America’s dairy cow population, but the breed’s milk is famous for its rich flavor, high protein and butterfat content, and health benefits. Cows also have a distinct orange/redand-white color.
“They’re beautiful animals, they’re very docile and calm,” said Wayne Foote Sr., originally from Bacon Hill. “They like human contact.”
He and his wife, Betsy, a Greenwich High School agricultural science teacher, are chairing the convention with their three adult children -- Wayne Jr., Mary and Suzanne.
Getting things organized has involved more than two years of planning and preparation.
“It’s a major undertaking,” Wayne Sr. said.
He’s president of the New York Guernsey Breeders Associaton and the family farm is in Hartford, Washington County.
Three years ago, the group held its statewide meeting in Saratoga Springs, which included a visit by the national American Guernsey Association president, of Pennsylvania.
“We took him downtown to show him around and he said, ‘You need to host a national convention here,’” Foote said.
“I think Saratoga is one of the greatest cities in the U.S.,” said Richard Whalen of Millbrook, Dutchess County, a state association board member. “Stores are filled, buildings are kept up. It’s a vibrant town. It’s a world-class place.”
Last year, the National Holstein Convention was held in Saratoga Springs.
The Guernsey breed originated on the Island of Guernsey, a small island off the coast of Normandy, near the beaches Allied forces stormed ashore 73 years ago next week on D-Day -June 6, 1944.
From the 1950s to the early 1970s, Golden Guernsey trademark milk was sold in the U.S. and Canada as a premium product. Today, most farms raise Holsteins because the cows are stronger and produce greater quantities of milk.
Guernsey milk’s light yellow or golden color is from its high beta carotene content, a source of Vitamin A.
It also has the highest amount of A2, a protein that’s touted as being more beneficial healthwise.
About 60 of the breed’s best animals will be auctioned on Saturday, July 1 at Saratoga County Fairgrounds.
The Guernsey association’s mission is promoting and improving the breed.
“We’re a kind of very unique, close-knit group,” Whalen said. “We love our Guernsey cows. The quality of milk is unsurpassed.”