When Rep. Chris Collins is in Batavia around noon and has time to stop for lunch, he usually makes that stop the Pok-A-Dot. Today, he had with him Greg Ibach, undersecretary/marketing and regulatory programs for the USDA (center). Joining them for lunch were Dana H. Coale, deputy administrator of the USDA, and Peter Fredericks, associate market administrator for the Northeast Market Area for the USDA.

They had just come from Wyoming County where Collins hosted a roundtable discussion for dairy farmers. They then toured the Rudgers Registered Jerseys Farm in Attica.

Before lunch was served, Ibach spoke with The Batavian about a few issues that concern local farmers.

Farmers across the nation are nervous about new protectionist trade policies but Ibach expressed optimism that things will work out favorably for agriculture.

"I’m a farmer from Central Nebraska," Ibach said. "My children and grandchildren are our fifth and six generations to grow up on our family farm. Through the years, as we’ve seen great growth opportunities for export agriculture, we always seem to hit up against phytosanitary barriers, quotas, or tariffs that have limited our true potential to grow agriculture markets. We, as farmers in the Midwest, have always asked the government to do something about those barriers and of export markets. This is administration is trying to do something about it."

He said he understands the anxiety and shares the anxiety, he said, but progress with KORUS (the free-trade agreement with South Korea) and the reports he is getting on NAFTA negotiations are positive for farmers.

"I’ve got to believe the world still wants to be consumers of U.S. products," Ibach said. "If they understand that the ticket to be able to continue to ship to us is that they expand our opportunities, I think we will be successful here and I think we’ll see even higher growth rate for agriculture commodities down the road. We may have to suffer a little bit here in the short term but we will get the benefits in the long term."

Many farmers have specific complaints about NAFTA but few want to see the agreement torn up. Locally, farmers complain about limits on the Canadian dairy and produce markets. Ibach said he understands those concerns and believes they are being addressed in negotiations.

"I'm confident we will reach an agreement that is better for everybody," Ibach said.

Another big concern for local farmers is immigration. They continue to struggle to find a sufficient and stable workforce.

Ibach said its a concern shared by farmers and ranchers across the nation, especially when it comes to temporary worker visas for employees who need to be on their farms year around.

"We're trying to work with Congress and the Department of Labor to understand those needs," Ibach said. "Secretary (Sonny) Perdue has a senior advisor who works on this issue every day. We’re trying to try to help find programs and adjustments that can be made to address agriculture worker concerns."

One of Ibach's areas of specialty is expanding ag markets to the rest of the world and he said he sees great opportunity in Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam, India and Africa.

"The entire continent (Africa) is projected to have quick, high growth," Ibach said. "At the same time, they have a lot of poverty. We're just starting to see a middle class emerge. With their agriculture, just with them trying to feed themselves, there is room for us to work with them on that and have them accept the technology out there as far as biotech to allow them to grow themselves as well as be customers of ours."

Here's a press release from the office of Chris Collins about the dairy roundtable:

Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) today hosted USDA Under Secretary Greg Ibach for a dairy roundtable in Wyoming County and tour of Rudgers Registered Jerseys Farm. Collins and Ibach discussed the 2018 Farm Bill, NAFTA negotiations, and other issues that impact local dairy farmers.

“With the release of the Farm Bill and ongoing NAFTA talks, it is my hope that our region’s dairy farmers will soon see some relief,” Collins said. “Agriculture is the backbone of our region’s economy and it is essential that we implement policies that help our farmers succeed. I thank Under Secretary Ibach for traveling to my district to talk about important issues that face Western New York dairy farmers.”

“As a fifth generation farmer myself, I appreciate the many ways that Rudgers and other Western New York dairies contribute to their communities and the region,” Ibach said.“The American dairy industry faces challenges from a number of directions. USDA will continue to listen and work hand-in-hand with producers of every size and our Congressional partners, like Congressman Collins.”

This week, the House Agriculture Committee favorably reported the 2018 Farm Bill, which includes important reforms to the Margin Protection Program (MPP). This program provides critical protections to dairy farmers as milk and feed prices fluctuate, and proposed changes will allow farmers to receive more coverage at less cost.

The Farm Bill also strengthens investment in trade promotion initiatives, designed to build upon our current agriculture exports. This week Collins sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer urging him to put an end to Canada’s Class 7 pricing program. As NAFTA negations continue, Collins pledged to work with the Trump administration to get rid of this program, which has created an unfair playing field and has essentially eliminated U.S. exports of certain dairy products. 

Additionally, Collins and Ibach discussed with farmers the unfair and complicated H-2A visa system that treats workers on certain types of farms different than it treats those on dairy farms. As a strong advocate for year-round legal work status, Collins and Ibach voiced commitment to finding solutions so dairy farmers can depend on a reliable and willing workforce.

Collins added: “I always enjoy meeting with our region’s dairy farmers and thank the Rudgers family for their hospitality and honest discussion about what we need to do to get this industry back on track. I look forward to continuing our work together on ways to strengthen and grow our dairy economy.”

The County's Parks Department hosted an annual Earth Day event at DeWitt Recreation area, which included events for children, a nature walk, park cleanup, and of course, plenty of people showed up to fish.

The lake is at near record-high levels, which is quite a turn around from about a year ago when you could walk on dry land out to the island.

This is a painting by Noah North of Oliver Vaughn, a resident of Darien who died at age 14 in 1833.

I stopped by to see it today at the Holland Land Office Museum because until a few days ago, I hadn't heard of North, who, it turns out, is a painter from Alexander of some minor national renown. His name has never come up before, at least in my presence, in any discussion of local artists.

The painting of Vaughn is one of North's earliest when he was still being trained by M.W. Hopkins, of Albion.

He is recognized among collectors and art historians as a folk portrait artist (also called "naive" or "primitive"). 

He relocated to Ohio where he continued to pursue his portrait career and then returned to WNY, married a woman from Darien, and settled in Mt. Morris, where he eventually adapted to the new medium of photography (working in daguerreotype).

Within the region, North's work can also be seen at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester and the Genesee Country Museum in Mumford. His work is also in the collections of the National Gallery of Art, the Museum of Folk Art, and the Shelbourne Museum in Vermont.

For the next four hours, one of his paintings is available on eBay for $9,000.

East Bethany resident Rick Hale holds up a scrimshaw horn he made himself, one of a few antique and reproduction pieces he brought to the Oakfield Historical Society's annual open house today to display. His collection included handmade rifle reproductions and 500-year-old powder horns (below).

Jim Ferris, of Alabama, demonstrates how a pioneer could have light any time as long as he had something to make into a wick and animal fat to render into an oil.

Nearly 100 firefighters and other emergency responders were at the Fire Training Center today to participate in four different classes to help them be better prepared for accident and fire responses.

Gary Hearn, regional emergency manager for Amtrak (bottom photo), taught a class on train passenger emergency response procedures.

There was advanced instruction for emergency medical technicians taking place in another classroom.

In still another classroom, the first day of two days of training sponsored by Tompkins Insurance on emergency vehicle operations.

And out in the back of the training center, the Firefighter II class spent eight hours learning about and practicing accident victim extrication.

"There can be severe damage, so they need to learn as many tricks as possible to get these folks out as quickly as possible," said Jim Bouton, deputy emergency coordinator.

The training center is often a busy place, Bouton said, but today was a little extra busy.

"Quite often the building is full but we’re out here on a back road and nobody sees us," Bouton said. "Sometimes, though we have a tremendous number of programs going on. Today we just happened to have every single classroom and training area filled."

This home features super-spacious bedrooms, dining area and living room with huge bay window and end wall that has pretty gas fireplace with lots of built in shelves for all your keepsakes! There is oversized side entrance/utility area with laundry and an absolutely HUGE attic area that will surprise you with all its room. Easily could be that hideaway space to hang out or just an abundance of storage space -- you choose!

This is truly an amazing patio home with no maintenance! Visit Lynn Bezon from Reliant Real Estate at the open house this Sunday from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. or click here for more information on this listing.

Genesee County's CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) hosted a casino night fundraiser at Terry Hills this evening. The advocacy program provides legal assistance to children in the court system due to neglect or abuse.

The event was sold out.

Genesee County has a lot going for it, several positive check marks, in a new "community report card" from ACT Rochester but a big surprising negative: Arts, Culture, and Leisure.

The Rochester-based nonprofit agency scored Genesee County with a red mark and trending down in the report released today.

For anybody who participates in arts and culture in Genesee County, that might be a surprise.

Gregory Hallock, director of GO ART!, said he definitely disagrees with the assessment.

"There is a ton of stuff happening in Genesee County," Hallock said. "We have murals all over the county. You can walk an art trail downtown. We have the Genesee Symphony Orchestra, Batavia Players, the Wind Ensemble, the Concert Band. We have breweries. That is art and culture. It's everywhere. It's in architectural design. Our building (GO ART! in Seymour Place downtown) is not only historical, it's an architectural accomplishment. There is just art everywhere."

He then started listing off more arts and culture in Genesee County, such as Genesee Community College's art gallery and theater, and the museums, and the restaurants, and the art schools and dance studios.

"That's a lot," he said. "One of the biggest things is you don't realize it's here. It's everywhere. Art is all over the community."

Hallock moved to Batavia from Buffalo and he said he thinks there is a more active arts community in Batavia than there is in the bigger city.

None of those things, however, are measured by ACT Rochester.

Ann Johnson, the initiative's director, said the report card tries to work with objective, quantifiable data that is accessible through public records. It would be cost prohibitive to survey every county's arts group, even if every county has an art group, to get a complete picture.

What is measured in the report for arts and culture is tourism spending per resident ($1,576), recreation spending per resident ($205), and the number of art teachers in the county's school (with 77, higher than most other counties in the state).

Genesee County tends to beat out other counties in the region in all these counties but not the rest of Upstate.

Johnson acknowledged that the data doesn't capture everything about a community's art and culture activity and how a community might feel about it. The numbers measure, in reality, whether people are coming to a community for arts and culture and leisure. It doesn't measure what local residents are spending for local arts and cultural events.

"I don't think Genesee County should feel at all that all that the red is a negative indication," Johnson said. "It is actually what the data shows us when we add up the indicators in that category. It shows up as red."

Tom Turnbull, president of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce said the report reminded him of the old aphorism, "there are lies, damn lies, and statistics."

There's more to tourism and culture in Genesee County then can be captured in numbers and there is no comparison for a rural community when measured against larger counties.

"Anybody trying to base what goes on in tourism based solely on statistics is not really getting the whole picture of what is going on," Turnbull said. "Just compiling stats and trying to make a point I think is really irrelevant. I think it is unfair to us."

Potentially, a person who might think of relocating to Genesee County, or worse, a site selector for a big company, might find this report online and get a negative impression of Genesee County as a place to come and enjoy arts and entertainment.

That is a concern, said Steve Hyde, CEO of Genesee County Economic Development Center.

"I'm all about trying to change the image and enhance the image of this community," Hyde said. "We're really focused on growth we've had that focus for years. We've made a lot of progress but it's a marathon, not a sprint. When reports like this come out, where they may not have all of the relevant facts in order to make a judgment, it is rather weak and distorts reality."

Coming out of the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Process, Hyde said he witnessed firsthand how the local arts community on growing and enhancing what they do, including GO ART!, Batavia Players, and Batavia Showtime.

"I look at those trends and they are very good trends for arts, culture, leisure and the local economy," Hyde said. "We are active and engaged and working to make things better. That's the point I would make to a site selector, that we are engaged more than (what) a couple statistics might show that comes out of a book."

To pick up on comments by Hallock, Genesee County has a lot to be proud of in this category:

• Batavia is the only small city in America with both a professional baseball team and a symphony orchestra;
• There is also a chorale, a wind ensemble, and a concert band;
• There are numerous local performing musicians and music acts;
• GO ART!;
• There are several art studios/schools in Batavia and Le Roy;
• There are also dance schools throughout the county;
• Besides art classes, our high schools have thriving music and theater programs (Le Roy just won a national award).
• Batavia High School has a rock band class;
• We have Batavia Players/Theater 56;
• We have Batavia Showtime;
• There are a number of very good, locally owned restaurants in the county;
• Museums include all the town museums along with HLOM, the Jell-O Museum and the County History Department;
• There is live music at Darien Lake, Batavia Downs, the Ridge NY;
• There are local bars/taverns throughout the county that are venues for local and regional acts;
• We have two locally brewed beers;
• We have parks, including Darien Lakes State Park, the County Park, and DeWitt Recreation Area;
• Darien Lakes Theme Park and the water park at Quality Suites & Inn;
• The Batavia Arts Society;
• We have a writers' group and we have local poetry readings;
• The Batavia Photography Club;
• The Paolo Busti Cultural Foundation;
• Polish Falcons Club, Nest 493, Batavia;
• Gillam Grant Community Center in Bergen;
• Richmond Memorial Library, plus libraries in Byron-Bergen, Pavilion, and Corfu;
• The City Art Canvas, murals throughout the county;
• Downtown has a popular and growing public market in the summers;
• Community events all year long in every town and village;
• Three bowling alleys, recreational sports leagues of all types, high school sports;
• Gyms in Batavia and Le Roy;
• Mixed Martial Arts events;
• Batavia Downs Casino & Hotel -- with the oldest lighted harness racing track in America;
• We have several active veterans' groups;
• We have numerous rod and gun clubs throughout the county;
• There are snowmobile trails;
• There are several golf courses and a number of annual golf tournaments;
• Concerts in Jackson Square and the Ramble;
• An autumn wine walk downtown and Christmas in the City;
• Nationally recognized artists such as Roy Mason, Noah North, and Nina Mason Booth came from Genesee County; 
• Genesee Community College is a hub of arts and culture, with the Roz Steiner Art Gallery and the Stuart Steiner Theater, and it's a great source of multicultural events (the annual Fashion Show is a big draw);
• The John Gardner Society, which honors the memory of Batavia's most famous novelist with an annual reading at the Pok-A-Dot;
• The Tonawanda Indian Reservation holds cultural events;
• Annual tourism draws like the worldwide Magicians Convention, regional Psychic Fair, Batavia Train Show, Foxprowl Com-Con, and the Batavia Antique Show and Sale;
• There is agritourism that includes Maple Weekend, tours of alpaca farms, and farm-to-table events that showcase locally grown food;
• Cornell Cooperative Extension and its Master Gardeners program, with training, workshops, demos, plant sales, and more;
• Genesee County is one of the very few small markets in the county with three competitive news outlets (The Batavian, WBTA, the Batavia Daily News).

What did we forget?

Photos: File photos.

Press release:

The cofounder of The Essential Oil Center in Batavia is conducting a shoe drive fundraiser now through June 10 to raise money for a Uganda Mission Trip in September.

Michelle Gillard will earn funds based on the total weight of the pairs of gently worn, used and new shoes collected, as Funds2Orgs will issue a check for the collected shoes. Those dollars will benefit the Uganda Mission Trip that Gillard will be serving on this fall.

Anyone can help by donating gently worn, used and new shoes on Sunday, June 10, at the Artisan Vendor Carnival at Batavia Downs Gaming from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., or by contacting Gillard at 297-0779 for pickup at any time.

If you or your organization feel you can collect 25 pairs of shoes, contact Gillard and she can provide you with the materials to collect them.

All donated shoes will then be redistributed throughout the Funds2Orgs network of micro-enterprise (small business) partners. Funds2Orgs works with micro-entrepreneurs in helping them create, maintain and grow small businesses in developing countries where economic opportunity and jobs are limited.

Proceeds from the sales of the shoes collected in shoe drive fundraisers are used to feed, clothe and house their families.

"We are so excited about this shoe drive," Gillard said. "We know that most people have extra shoes in their closets they would like to donate to us.

"By doing so, we raise money for this great cause, and we have the chance to help families in developing nations who need economic opportunities. It's a win-win for everyone. We have already reached 25 percent of our goal.”

By donating gently worn, used and new shoes to the Uganda Mission Trip the shoes will be given a second chance and make a difference in people’s lives around the world.

Requirements for Shoes:

Shoes must be new or gently used. They should be clean, no rips, no tears and soles must be attached. If possible each pair should be tied or rubber-banded together. Kids and adults shoes are accepted. Sneakers, shoes (even heels), boots and sandals are all acceptable.

About Uganda Mission Trip:

Gillard became involved with the organization Sole Hope a couple years ago. What started as an individual fundraiser to help Sole Hope has turned into a heartfelt passion to help others on multiple levels. Join us in supporting great causes, Funds2Orgs and Sole Hope and the people of Uganda.

Gillard's planned trip to Uganda in September will be the first of what she hopes are many mission trips to serve in that nation's slums and orphanages.

A two-car motor vehicle accident with injuries is reported in the parking lot of Batavia Downs on Park Road.

Town of Batavia fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 2:22 p.m.: No need for fire, Town of Batavia back in service. Injuries are not due to the accident. It is a medical condition that caused the accident.

Ferrellgas in Batavia is hosting its annual Customer Appreciation Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 12. It is located at 655 Ellicott St.

Grill tank fills -- unlimited quantity -- will be $5.

All attendees will be eligible for drawings. No purchase necessary to enter the drawing.

"On-site raffles will be huge this year," says management.

They include Omaha steaks, a TV, propane prizes for new and existing customers, and lots of basket raffles for kids and adults alike.

All proceeds will benefit the Michael Napoleone Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research.

Pre-sale raffle tickets are available at the Ellicott Street store.

First-place prize is a dual fuel grill and patio heater; Second-place prize is a stainless steel grill and accessories; Third-place prize is a propane firepit and accessories.

Call 1-800-437-4856 for more information.

Batavia Middle School was rockin' this morning with a visit from the rock band class at Batavia High School to help kickoff STEAM Day at the school.

The band's visit was intended to also give middle school students of another idea for a class they might take when they get to high school.

The band played The Ramones, Tom Petty, The Kinks (twice depending on how you count "You Really Got Me" with the Van Halen intro of "Eruption"), and Cream, among others.

During a Bryan Adams song, the students broke out their mobile phone flashlights and waved them in the air just like any other rock concert.

Press release:

Earlier this month, hundreds of high school students from across New York state attended the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Leadership Conference, which was held in Binghamton.

Students from the Mount Morris and Batavia Career and Technical Education (CTE) centers attended this competition and earned the highest awards in their events. These students proved to be the top student technology experts in the state. As a result of earning these awards, four students have qualified to attend the National FBLA Leadership in Baltimore in late June.

“FBLA is a great learning opportunity for our students, they gain confidence in their abilities and develop valuable networking skills to aid them in their future,” said Maggie Poray, Batavia CTE Center Programming and Interactive Media instructor.

Angel Felix and Spencer Herring are Computer Information Systems students who attend the Mount Morris CTE Center. Both are students from Geneseo Central Schools. This team won first place in the Computer Game and Simulation Competition.

This is the second year that Angel has competed in this competition. Last year, he also earned first place in the Computer Game and Simulation Competition. This year’s game has a theme, “A Day in the Life of a FBLA student.”

“It is a two-dimensional game that is played on a computer. The characters have different activities such as competing in FBLA events and even fundraising. In our game, the characters are also developing a game. We spent six months working on this project which includes two main and 10 other characters,” Angel said.

Spencer said, “This was my first year entering the FBLA Competition, Angel and I are a great team. It’s an open-world game, which means the player can roam a virtual world and approach objectives freely.

"Angel and I thought about some of the things we do as FBLA students and we put that into the game. We had some programming glitches to work through but we worked together to fix these issues.”

“Angel and Spencer put a lot of hard work and dedication into their Computer Game and Simulation competition. They were able to build on the experience from last year to develop their skills in programming, design and problem solving to develop an amazing computer game to present to the judges this year,” Poray said.

Larry Harvey, Mount Morris CTE Center Computer Information Systems instructor said, “We are incredibly proud of our students for competing and producing results that will enrich their lives for years to come.

"The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership along with the Future Business Leaders of America organization, believe that the most important skills that we teach are the ones that the students will use far beyond school and into everyday life.”

Taylor Tyczka is a Batavia CTE Center Programming and Interactive Media student from Attica CS. She is a junior and was elected as NY FBLA District 10 State Vice President. This is the first time that a student from the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership has been elected as a state FBLA officer.

“I am very excited to be elected for this position," Taylor said. "I worked very hard on my campaign. I will attend state FBLA meetings and serve as a liaison between the schools and chapters in District 10 and the state FBLA.

"I’m very thankful to my advisors and my teacher, Ms. Poray, for providing me with this opportunity to attend this state conference. This is an honor for me to serve.”

Donovan Kelley is a Batavia CTE Center Programming and Interactive Media student from Caledonia-Mumford. He earned fifth place in the Computer Applications Competition.

Press release:

The Erie County Reform Party is proud to announce the endorsement of Larry Piegza who looks to unseat Chris Collins in New York’s Congressional District 27. Piegza, a Western New York native and entrepreneur, originally announced that he was running as a Republican candidate last November.

“I originally hoped to inspire the Republican Party to change direction and focus on balancing our budget, streamlining our government and promoting ethical leadership.” Piegza said. “But the party is no longer interested in these goals.

"The Republican Leadership is not holding Chris Collins to account for his insider trading scandal and the fact that he keeps voting to balloon our deficit. My campaign is to give conservatives a chance to revolutionize our government. If we want to drain the swamp, a good place to start is with Chris Collins.”

The Reform Party has long believed in reforming the political and electoral process, eliminating corruption and special interest control of policy-making government in order to return more power to the people. It advocates for term limits for congressman and judges, instant runoff voting, and mechanisms for more direct democracy.

“The fighting in Congress this year has disgusted many people; people want a balanced budget, not a circus show," said Charlie Flynn, head of the selection committee. "When we decided to endorse Larry, I knew that the Republican Party is truly splitting.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if half of the Party votes for our candidate this year. We have the more ethical conservative candidate."

The fact that Piezga is an underdog in this race doesn’t seem to bother him.

“I am truly honored by the Reform Party’s decision to endorse my candidacy,” Piegza said. “Our nation is going to need strong third-party candidates if we are going to hold Congress accountable to their districts.”

To learn more about Piegza and his campaign for New York Congressional District 27, visit FixItLarry.org. Additionally, consider supporting the campaign by donating $5, $10, or $27.

Jason R. Anderson, 36, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with grand larceny, 4th, driving while under the influence of drug and alcohol, criminal mischief, 4th, and possession of a hypodermic instrument. Anderson is accused of driving his vehicle into Kibbe Park where it became stuck in the mud. Anderson then allegedly stole another vehicle and attempted to push his vehicle out of the mud. That vehicle also became stuck in the mud. The stuck vehicles were reported at 1:27 a.m. Tuesday. Upon investigation by officers Mitchell Cowen and Arick Perkins, Anderson was allegedly found to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol and in possession of needles. He was arraigned and jailed without bail.

Kiara M. McCoy, 28, of Woodward Street, Rochester, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to answer a traffic summons. McCoy was located by Rochester PD and turned over to Batavia PD. McCoy posted bail and was released.

George E. Norway, 65, of North Pearl Street, Oakfield, is charged with aggravated harassment. Norway allegedly left a threatening message for an employee at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Norway was arraigned and released under the supervision of Genesee Justice.

Sarah D. Peterson, 26, of Le Roy, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Peterson was arrested by State Police at an apartment in Le Roy at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Samuel R. Oddo, 34, of Batavia, is charged with grand larceny, 4th. Oddo is accused of stealing property at Target with a value of more than $1,000. He was arrested by State Police at 2:34 p.m. Monday.

Jessica M. Pfenninger, 35, of Batavia, and Robin L. Walsh, 51, of Batavia, are charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Pfenninger and Walsh were arrested by State Police at 2:38 p.m. Wednesday. No further details released.