What Happens To The 800 Pound Butter Sculpture After New York State Fair?

What in the world do you do with 800 pounds of butter? I mean it's been out in the elements so it's not like you could use it to butter lobster. Interestingly enough, the butter from the 800-pound culture at the fair has a very practical use after it has gone to glory.

What Is The Butter Sculpture At The Great New York State Fair?

Credit: MultiVu via Youtube

The theme for the butter sculpture, sponsored by Wegmans, at the 2022 New York State Fair was “Refuel Her Greatness – Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Title IX”.

The Butter Sculpture is created and operated by Syracuse-based American Dairy Association North East, which represents all dairy farmers in New York State. The butter used to make the iconic sculpture comes from New York sources. It was a first stop for many of the Fair’s more than 1 million visitors in 2016 and veteran fairgoers eagerly await its unveiling the day before the Fair opens each year.

The New York State Fair Butter Sculpture Becomes Energy

The butter from the sculpture is ultimately turned into energy! A Western New York dairy farm combines it with other food waste to transform it all into energy, which powers the farm and 300 houses in the community for the year.

American Dairy Association North East will partner with Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners and Noblehurst Farms to dismantle, transport, and ultimately recycle the 800-pound statue of inedible butter.

Credit: WUSA9 via Youtube

As someone with an artistic flair, I can truly appreciate how difficult it must be to create the sculpture from concept to finished product. It's got to be especially difficult knowing that your work will only be around for a few weeks before being destroyed. But, I guess the beauty in it is that it will provide power for hundreds of people in Western New York.

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