New England’s top dairy farmers will be honored at Big E as part of the New England Green Pastures Program.

Each year, one dairy farm from each New England state is nominated as Outstanding Dairy Farm of the Year. The farmers get together at Big E for an invitation-only banquet to honor their awards.

This year’s winners are Fairholm Farm, Woodstock, Conn.; Hilton Farms, Norridgewock, Maine; Rogers Farm, Warren, Mass.; LeClair Acres, Claremont, N.H.; Melissa and Matt Jordan of West Greenwich, R.I.; and Karie Atherton and Aires-Hill Farm of Enosburg, Vt.

More details about each farm will be posted at AmericanAgriculturist.com.

LIVESTOCK SHOW: An exhibitor holds the halter of a Holstein during the 2017 Big E. Livestock events start Sept. 12.

The Big E, New England’s largest showcase of agriculture, will be held Sept. 14-30 at Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Mass.

Livestock shows start Sept. 12 and run through Sept. 29 in the Mallary Arena.

FFA Days at the Big E will be held Sept. 14-15. An awards banquet will be held Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Monarch Downtown.

Career development event competitions will be held both days, with FFA Stars program winners announced on Sept. 15.

Erica Baier, national FFA secretary, will be at the Big E this year. Baier, a junior at Iowa State University, served as the Iowa south-central state vice president in 2015-16.

While in high school, she had three supervised agricultural experience areas: vegetable production, beef production and agricultural education.

FFA SECRETARY: Erica Baier, FFA national secretary, will take in this year’s FFA events. 

In her vegetable production project, Baier planted, raised and marketed pumpkins, gourds and other cucurbits. Using an acre of land, Baier learned to better manage pumpkins by planting multiple varieties of seed to meet customer needs, applying herbicide and fungicide, and implementing new marketing plans.

More information on the Big E can be found online at thebige.com.

Big E Dairy and Beef Shows
Take a look at all of the beef and dairy shows that will take place at the Big E. All shows will be held in Mallary Arena 1 and Arena 2:

Wednesday, Sept.  12
9 a.m.: Northeast National Brown Swiss Junior Showmanship
10 a.m.: Northeast National Brown Swiss Show 

Thursday, Sept. 13
9 a.m.: Red & White Dairy Cattle Show
5 p.m.: Northeast Fall Holstein Junior Showmanship

Friday, Sept. 14
9 a.m.: Northeast Fall National Holstein Show

Saturday, Sept. 15
9 a.m.: Belted Galloway Show 

Monday, Sept. 17
1 p.m.: Junior Milking Shorthorn Show 

Tuesday, Sept. 18
9 a.m.: Northeastern National Milking Shorthorn Show
3 p.m.: Showmanship (AOB and Simmental) and AOB Beef Show
4 p.m.: Sheep Supreme Champion Selections

Wednesday, Sept. 19
9 a.m.: Jersey Show
3 p.m.: Simmental Beef Show and Jackpot Heifer and Steer Beef Show 

Thursday, Sept. 20
9 a.m.: Eastern States National Ayrshire Showmanship
10 a.m.: Eastern States National Ayrshire Show 

Friday, Sept. 21
11 a.m.: Hereford Junior Show 

Saturday, Sept. 22
1 p.m.: Hereford Show
6 p.m.: Youth Working Steer Fitting and Showmanship 

Sunday, Sept. 23
8:30 a.m.: Youth Working Steer Junior Cart
12:30 p.m.: 4-H Beef Showmanship
3:30 p.m.: Youth Working Steer Senior Cart 

Monday, Sept. 24
8 a.m: Youth Working Steer Senior and Junior Pulling
11:30 a.m.: Youth Working Steer Awards Ceremony 

Tuesday, Sept. 25
9 a.m.: New England Guernsey Classic Show
4 p.m.: Sheep Supreme Champion Selections 

Wednesday, Sept. 26
9 a.m.: Angus Showmanship
3 p.m.: Angus Show