The Times Union is reporting Stewart’s Dairy in Saratoga Springs is the winner of New York’s annual milk competition, as judged by Cornell University’s Milk Quality Improvement Program. Stewart’s also won for best-tasting chocolate milk, finishing first in a field of 21 dairies statewide. The results were announced August 25 by the Cornell program, which serves as the state's official judging group on behalf of the Department of Agriculture and Markets. The honors are usually conferred at Dairy Day during the New York State Fair, but the fair was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The awards were presented virtually. “Congratulations to our dairy processors and our dairy farmers behind these fantastic products,” Ag and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball said in a statement. “We know New York produces some of the best milk there is, and I am honored to join Cornell in sharing these stories of success with all New Yorkers.” Stewart’s has won the competition five times, most recently in 2017, and it finished second twice; Garelick Farms of Rensselaer was the runner-up in the overall fluid milk category. The dairy won last year and in 2015. New York has nearly 4,000 dairy farms that produce nearly 15 billion pounds of milk annually, making it the nation’s fourth-largest dairy states. Read the full story in the Times Union.