ROME — Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon, D-119, Marcy, along with local farmers, agricultural ambassadors and Mayor Jacqueline M. Izzo, celebrated the designation of July as Ice Cream Month in New York with a visit to Nicky Doodles, 1159 Erie Blvd. W.

They were also joined by Mary Beth McEwen of Cornell Cooperative Extension, Nick Twomey, owner of Nicky Doodles, and the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office.

“When you think of the summer season, you think of ice cream. Whether you are getting a cone of classic soft serve or a hand-packed pint, enjoy,” said Buttenschon. “New York is one of our nation’s top dairy producers and ice cream is one of the tastiest products they help produce. As a farm owner and member of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, I’ll always support our hardworking farmers and small businesses and fight to provide the resources they need to thrive. I hope you’ll join me in grabbing a scoop this summer to support this vital part of our agricultural industry.”

New York has nearly 3,600 dairy farms, ranking as the nation’s fourth largest milk producer, according to the state Department of Agriculture and Markets’ most recent data. The dairy industry is the state’s largest agricultural sector, generating almost half of total agricultural receipts.

Nicky Doodles Owner Nick Twomey said he is proud to serve locally-sourced milk in the soft serve custard at its business locations.

“Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon has provided an extraordinary commitment to being the voice of dairy farmers in the 119th District,” said Ben Simons, board director and chief of Financial Office of the Boonville Farmer’s Cooperative, which represents about 40 dairy farms in Central and Northern Oneida County.

“The time she has spent serving on the New York State Agricultural Committee has proven her dedication to representing the needs of dairy farmers”

Izzo said it was a pleasure to participate in recognizing July as Ice Cream Month with Assemblywoman Buttenschon.

“It is important to thank all those who are in the dairy farming industry for their hard work and dedication to producing milk which enables our ice cream industry to flourish,” said Izzo. “Ice cream and summer go hand-in-hand, and we thank all of our local ice cream vendors for providing the cold treats.”

Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol said the sheriff’s office is proud to support local small businesses and county farmers.

“We hope to see everyone out at these local establishments enjoying an ice cream during the month of July,” the sheriff said.

In addition to ice cream, New York processors make more than 1 billion pounds of cheeses, and in 2020, fluid milk sales at plants statewide totaled 2.9 billion pounds.  

More than 8,000 people work in the dairy industry and, for every job created by dairy food manufacturers, more than five jobs are indirectly created.