Pumpkins and apples are a big part of the fall season. But have you ever wondered what happens to the waste generated after all that apple juice and cider is made?
It’s called apple pomace, which includes all of the apple, minus the juice.
And really what’s one man’s trash is a cow’s treasure. Turns out these apple leftovers are full of nutrients such as carbohydrates, dietary fiber and minerals.
At Reyncrest Farm in Corfu, they work with some of the 600 commercial apple growers in New York to upcycle these leftover apple products. Apparently, the cows can’t enough of it.
“Because the apple is blended into their total mixed ration with a bunch of other ingredients, they don't really notice the difference," said Kelly Reynolds of Reyncrest Farm. "But when you're out watching the heifers eat, you can see them dig through and try to pick out pieces of the apple. So that's really fun to watch.”
Speaking of cows, milk is New York's number-one agriculture product, contributing $2.7 billion to the economy along with 26,000 jobs. Milk was designated the official state beverage of New York in 1981.
New York is home to more than 3,200 dairy farms and over 620,000 cows. That's roughly the populations of Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse combined.