CCE’s Kathy Burns awarded Women in Agriculture Friend of the Fair Award

That work recently earned Burns the Third Annual Women in Agriculture Friend of the Fair Award.

New York State Fair Director Julie LaFave nominated Burns for the award, recognizing her contributions to the Voice of the Farmer Garden since 2023. Burns was one of six women nominated for this year’s Women in Agriculture recognition. “I’m genuinely excited for Cornell Cooperative Extension and the New York Voice of the Farmer Garden,” Burns said.

The award highlights Burns’ work in bringing CCE’s educational mission to one of New York’s largest public gatherings. At the Voice of the Farmer Garden, fairgoers can see crops growing, ask questions and learn about both the successes and challenges involved in producing food.

Burns said visitors often stop to ask about unfamiliar crops. “What's a tomatillo?” is a question she frequently hears.

For Burns, those conversations are an important part of the garden’s purpose.
“A lot of people just don’t know where their food comes from,” she said.
The garden also provides an opportunity to show visitors that growing food is not always perfect.

Some corn plants have been intentionally left with corn smut, a fungal disease that affects corn and is considered a delicacy in Mexico. This summer, aphids provided another teaching opportunity in the garden’s delicata squash.

CCE released 750 ladybugs to help control the aphids, and Burns uses the experience to explain the insects’ role in the garden, including identifying ladybugs, their eggs and larvae.

“I leave a lot of these challenges in the garden on purpose, just to show people, ‘This is what really happens in a garden,’” Burns said.

That hands-on approach is central to the Voice of the Farmer Garden, which continues to serve as an educational resource beyond the State Fair.

After the fair concludes on Labor Day, CCE staff and volunteers will clean and prepare the garden for continued use. An Oct. 1 public session is planned to cover fall garden cleanup, tool maintenance, decisions about what to leave in garden beds and maintaining pollinator gardens.

The garden also contributes to the community through food donations. Last year, 700 pounds of produce from the garden was donated to local food pantries in Onondaga County. Harvesting will continue into the fall.

Burns recently moved into a full-time position with CCE Onondaga after beginning her work with the organization part time. In addition to coordinating the Master Gardener program, she responds to questions from the public and works with volunteers.

Interest in the program continues to grow, with about 13 people already expressing interest in becoming Master Gardener volunteers next year.
Burns’ work with CCE extends beyond the State Fair. She also has worked with community gardens, including one on Lodi Street through CCE’s Seed to Supper program.

The garden served residents who were largely New Americans. Many participants brought farming experience from their home countries but had to adapt to Central New York’s growing conditions and local pests.

Burns said the garden became more than a place to grow food. “That garden became like family,” she said.

By the end of the season, participants and Master Gardener volunteers had formed strong relationships and shared produce and gardening knowledge.

“That’s really what it’s about, especially for New Americans,” Burns said. “You land in the middle of Syracuse with no friends, no family, but by the end of the season, you’ve found both.”

Burns said that sense of community is one of the most rewarding aspects of her work with Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Her route to CCE was not a traditional one. Before joining the organization, Burns worked in construction, advertising and television. Her career began in purchasing for a railroad in Cooperstown, where she sourced materials ranging from railroad ties and bridge timbers to ballast regulators.
Her gardening experience and people skills ultimately led her to Extension. “I knew that any horticultural knowledge gaps I had would be easily filled, thanks to the wealth of resources available through Cornell,” Burns said.

Today, she uses those resources to help others learn. Whether answering a fairgoer’s question about a tomatillo, explaining how beneficial insects can help control pests or working alongside residents in a community garden, Burns said the goal remains the same: connecting people with agriculture and with one another.

The Friend of the Fair Award recognizes that work and Burns’ ongoing contribution to the Voice of the Farmer Garden and Cornell Cooperative Extension’s mission of providing research-based education and resources to communities across New York.