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Upstate Niagara Cooperative, the Buffalo-based food and beverage company owned by nearly 300 local dairy farm families, won First Place in the Overall Best Milk Quality category for its Upstate Farms Milk, and First Place in the Flavored Milk category at The Great New York State Fair’s 2021 Dairy Products Competition in Syracuse.

Winners were announced on August 26th at the Great New York State FairDairy Day awards ceremony, held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The vast majority of our farms have been family-owned for generations and take great pride in the quality of milk they produce, as evidenced by this recognition from New York State,” said Mark Serling, Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and R&D for Upstate Niagara Cooperative. “Fresh milk tastes the best, and our owners’ and employees’ commitment to quality mirrors our pledge to have our milk go from farm to fridge in just two days.”

These awards are based on scores generated from Cornell University's Voluntary Shelf-Life (VSL) program, funded by New York dairy farmers and part of the Milk Quality Improvement Program (MQIP) at the university.

For more information about Upstate Niagara Cooperative, including the Upstate Farms and Bison brands, visit upstateniagara.com.