Visitors toasted local food and farmers with beer made with hops grown in Munnsville and wine from Owera Vineyards, Madison County’s first winery on the shores of Cazenovia Lake.

But the bigger news at the third annual Fresh! Gala fundraiser Sunday was the announcement of a $55,600 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development to help four local dairy farms produce and market sweet cream butter from their grass-fed herds.

The Kriemhild Dairy Farms cooperative was founded in 2008 by four Madison County dairy farm families, including Maurice and Amy Kelsey of Monanfran Farm, who hosted Sunday’s gala fundraiser.

The grant will purchase a butter filler to allow the company to package its butter in smaller, consumer-friendly eight-ounce containers.

Without the new machinery, the company could only package the product in two-, five- and 10-pound containers.

The celebration at Monanfran Farm kicked off the fourth annual Buy Local Week, which was conceived in 2008 to help connect consumers to farmers.

The feature event of Buy Local Week will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at 38 farms and three farmers markets throughout Madison County. Visit madisoncountyagriculture.com to download a passport with information about participating farms. The booklets will also be distributed at local Price Chopper grocery stores.

In its first year, the event drew several hundred visitors to 14 agricultural locations. This year, the offerings include the gala fundraiser, a week of special events at local restaurants and Open Farm Day, when 40 local farms will open their barns and fields to visitors.

The third annual Fresh! Gala was held at Monanfran Farm on Route 5 in Canastota. Owner Maurice Kelsey created the name in tribute to those who have run the family farm for more than 100 years. “Mon” stands for Maurice’s grandfather, Monford; “an” pays tribute to his grandmother, Annabelle, and “Fran” is for his father, Francis.

Organizers say the event is part of ongoing focus to promote local agriculture the same way local officials promote county businesses.

At Sunday’s gala, the Kelsey family offered wagon rides to the dairy farms, giving visitors a glimpse of their prize-winning Holsteins and dairy operation.

The family’s involvement with the Kriemhild brand illustrated the growing number of farmers expanding their offerings to ensure the continued viability of local agriculture and family farms.

“We’re very proud of our farm and want everyone to see what a modern dairy operation is all about,” said Maurice Kelsey.

Contact Alaina Potrikus at apotrikus@syracuse.com or 470-3252.

The Fresh! Gala kicks off the celebration on Sunday, July 17, at the Monanfran Farm in Canastota owned by the Kelsey Family. The event, a fundraiser that celebrates the diversity and vibrancy of Madison County agriculture, will be held from 2-6 p.m. with live bluegrass music provided by the Kellish Hill Players from Manlius. Dinner will be prepared by Serendipity Catering with foods supplied by local farms. Wine and beer will be provided by Owera Vineyards from Cazenovia and Empire Brewing Company of Syracuse, along with hops lemonade provided by Foothill Hops of Munnsville (www.foothilhops.com) and coffee and tea provided by Shapna. Monanfran Farm owners Amy and Maurice Kelsey will provide wagon rides to their dairy barn for a first-hand glimpse at their dairy operation and prizewinning Holstein cows. A silent auction and raffle will also be included in the festivities. Tickets can be purchased here, with all proceeds supporting Buy Local Week.

Taste of the County will be an ongoing event at many participating restaurants in Central New York throughout the week of Monday, July 18, through Saturday, July 23, in which local restaurants showcase food from many local farms. Details can be found at www.madisoncountyagriculture.com.

Forty farms and three farmers markets will participate in Open Farm Day this year. The farms will open their doors to the CNY community on Saturday, July 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Farms will be offering samples, farm tours and rides, as well as animal interaction, and many farms will have farm stores or stands where you can purchase their products. Passports will be distributed the week of Open Farm Day in the Hi Neighbor, Mid-York Weekly, and Oneida Daily Dispatch newspapers. Passports will also be available for download at www.madisoncountyagriculture.com. All details, including maps and addresses, are posted on the website. And, you can follow Buy Local Week on Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr.

Madison County Agricultural Economic Development (315-684-3001 x 125) is proud to announce this year’s sponsors of Buy Local Week: Price Chopper Grocery Stores, Cazenovia Equipment Company, National Grid, Rosamond Gifford Foundation, Gorman Foundation, Central New York Community Foundation, Eastern Carolina-Vail, Farm Credit East, Farm Bureau, Empire Brewing Company, Owera Vineyards, Shapna Tea & Coffee, Serendipity Catering, Off the Path Media, Madison County Tourism, CNYBounty.com, and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County.

Maple Avenue Farms