The New York State Agricultural Society was founded in 1832, with the goal of promoting agricultural improvement. One of its main activities is operating the annual

New York State Fair The New York State Fair, also known as the Great New York State Fair, is a 13-day showcase of agriculture, entertainment, education, and technology. With midway rides, concessionaires, exhibits, and concerts, it has become New York's largest an ...

Activities

A major activity of the society is running the annual

. The first such fair was held in 1841, in Syracuse, and drew 10,000 attendees over two days. The second was held in Albany, with Auburn, Buffalo, Elmira, New York City, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Saratoga Springs, Watertown and Utica all hosting fairs between 1842 and 1889. The fair moved permanently back to Syracuse in 1890. The society publishes a newspaper titled ''The Cultivator''. Originally a monthly publication, it is semi-annual. The society supports research into ways to make farms more productive, such as the best type of grass to grow for feeding dairy cows, and whether grass fields should grow naturally or be plowed and reseeded periodically. The society honors New York State agricultural businesses with a Business of the Year award. Every year since 1937, the society has also given the Century Farm Award in four out of 56 counties on a rotating basis. These awards were given to farms that had been owned and operated by one family for one hundred years, where the families were also "good farmers and active members of the community in which they live". The society holds an annual dinner, traditionally attended by the governor of New York State. It has also hosted dignitaries such as

US Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...

secretary Arthur Hyde, newspaper publisher

Frank Gannett Frank Ernest Gannett (September 15, 1876 – December 3, 1957) was an American publisher who founded the media corporation Gannett Company. He began his career in 1906 as half owner of the ''Elmira Gazette''. He soon added newspapers in Ithaca, ...

, and University of Maryland president Raymond Pearson. In 1876, the society had an income of $41,210. Of that, $15,086 was from the state fair. In 1900, as a result of a change to a state law, the New York State Agricultural Society was mandated to receive $20,000 in premiums "of all moneys appropriated for the promotion of agriculture in any one year". The society runs the New York State Agricultural Society Foundation, which makes grants to young scholars to promote agricultural literacy, professional skills, and provide funding for students to attend the society's annual functions.

Notable past presidents

The following is a (possibly incomplete) list of notable past society presidents. *

Jesse Buel Jesse Buel (January 4, 1778 – October 6, 1839) was an American newspaper publisher, politician, and agricultural reformer. Early life Jesse Buel was born on a farm in Coventry, Connecticut, the youngest of 14 children. At the age of 12 he ...

(1834–1835) *

Archibald McIntyre Archibald McIntyre (June 1, 1772 Dull, Kenmore, Perthshire, Scotland – May 6, 1858 Albany, Albany County, New York), was an American merchant and politician. Life He was the son of Daniel McIntyre and Ann (Walker) McIntyre of the villag ...

(1836) * John P. Beekman (1837–1838, 1844) *

James S. Wadsworth James Samuel Wadsworth (October 30, 1807 – May 8, 1864) was a philanthropist, politician, and a Union general in the American Civil War. He was mortally wounded in battle during the Battle of the Wilderness of 1864. Early years Wadswor ...

(1842–1843) * Lewis F. Allen (1848) *

John A. King John Alsop King (January 3, 1788July 7, 1867) was an American politician who was Governor of New York from 1857 to 1858. Life John Alsop King was born in the area now encompassed by New York City on January 3, 1788, to U.S. Senator Rufus King ...

(1949) * Lewis Morris (1853) * William Kelly (1854) * Alonzo S. Upham (1857) * Benjamin N. Huntington (1860) * George Geddes (1861) *

Ezra Cornell Ezra Cornell (; January 11, 1807 – December 9, 1874) was an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He was the founder of Western Union and a co-founder of Cornell University. He also served as President of the New York Agricul ...

(1862) * Edward G. Faile (1863) * John Stanton Gould (1866) * Marsena R. Patrick (1867–1868) * Benjamin F. Angel (1873–1874) * John B. Dutcher (1893–1894) * Benjamin F. Tracy (1897-1898) * Rosswell P. Flower (1899) * Timothy L. Woodruff (1900) * Millard Davis (1937–1938) * Leigh G. Kirkland (1941)

References

{{Reflist

External links

* New York State Agricultural Societ
official website
1832 establishments in New York (state) Agricultural organizations based in the United States Non-profit organizations based in New York (state)