The 2025 Dairy Cow Birthing Center at the New York State Fair was one for the books. For 13 days, tens of thousands of fairgoers walked through the tent, while tens of thousands more tuned in online to witness the miracle of life unfold.
A Global Audience
Our YouTube livestream drew 61,500 total views and over 25,000 hours of watch time, with viewers averaging more than 24 minutes each. The top five countries represented were the USA, UK, Canada, Germany, and France, while here at home, the most viewers came from New York, California, Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. YouTube viewers came from 37 of the 50 US states!
The most-watched moment of the fair was the birth of Opal on Tuesday, August 26, around 2:00 p.m. That day alone, when three calves were born, the livestream saw more than 5,400 views.
29 Calves Welcomed
This year, the Birthing Center welcomed 29 calves, 20 heifers and 9 bulls. For some added fun, the first 26 calves were named alphabetically, starting with Amber and ending with Zeus. The heaviest calf born was Xena, a 119-pound heifer, followed by two 110-pound bull calves, Phoenix and Snoopy.
Questions That Kept Us Talking
Curiosity from fairgoers and online viewers kept conversations flowing all week. The most frequently asked question? “When will the next calf be born?” Since births can’t be scheduled exactly, our answer was usually, “We don’t know exactly, but you can sign up for our text alerts!” More than 7,400 subscribers now receive updates when a cow goes into labor, and each alert sparks a wave of excitement.
Other common questions included:
- Why are so many calves black?
- Who is the host farm today?
- What is that big black spinning thing in their pen? (Answer: the automatic cow brush, used by the cows as a scratcher, cleaner, and massager!)
Impact Beyond Numbers
While the livestream views and fairground crowds are impressive, the heart of the Dairy Cow Birthing Center is the impact of real conversations. Hannah Johnson, NYAAC’s Communications Manager, shared one that stood out: “This year, I had more impactful conversations than ever before. One woman told me flat out, ‘I just don’t like farmers.’ Her concerns were rooted in things she’d heard from anti-farming activist groups on social media. We sat down together, talked through what she was seeing in real time in the tent, and found common ground. By the end, she told me she was glad we had the conversation and that she had a new appreciation for New York farmers. That moment reminded me exactly why we do this work.”
NYAAC’s Executive Director, Eileen Jensen, added this, “It amazes me how many people continue to visit and connect in a variety of ways throughout the Dairy Cow Birthing Center. It’s wonderful to see our reach continue to expand each year. I love unique stories of where people tune in from across the world. This year, we received notice that the woman at the helm of the Maid of the Mist in Niagara Falls tunes into the Birthing Center each year. Hearing these stories continues to validate the reason we do what we do at the State Fair and beyond, all year long.”
A Community Effort
The Birthing Center is possible thanks to the dedication of host farms, veterinarians, youth groups, and volunteers who work around the clock to make sure visitors leave with a better understanding of dairy farming, animal care, and the production of nutritious dairy products.
Each year, this tent becomes more than just a fair exhibit. It’s a place where misconceptions are broken, connections are built, and people leave with a deeper respect for the cows, farmers, and processors who keep New York’s dairy industry thriving.
