SENECA FALLS -- St. Lawrence County’s Linzi Chambers is one of New York’s 21 Junior Dairy Leaders who will graduate at Empire Farm Days on Wednesday, Aug. 8.

The 1:30 p.m. ceremony will take place at the Dairy Profit Seminar Center at the Northeast’s largest outdoor farm show at Rodman Lott & Son Farms in Seneca Falls.

The Cornell Pro-Dairy Junior Dairy Leader program is a statewide program for youth ages 16-19 with an interest in learning about career opportunities in the dairy industry and gaining hands-on experience in the field.

“The graduation ceremony at Empire Farm Days gives these young people the opportunity to highlight their experiences and demonstrate to visitors, family, friends, agribusiness professionals and educators the dynamic aspect of dairy education and the multitude of dairy career opportunities,” Program Coordinator Deborah Grusenmeyer.

Junior Dairy Leader experiences include a seven-day trip to Madison, WI, to tour dairies and agribusinesses and attend the National 4-H Dairy Conference.

From September 2011 through August 2012, the Junior Dairy Leaders participated in eight workshops on team building, personality styles, resume and leadership skills development, as well as specific facets of the dairy industry in veterinary science, dairy nutrition, production management, and on-farm production analysis. The youth interacted with dairy producers, industry professionals, and other dairy-interested young people.

For more info: Deborah Grusenmeyer, 607-255-0656, djc27@cornell.edu; Empire Farm Days: Manager Melanie Wickham, 877-697-7837, mwickham@empirefarmdays.com.