A deputy was involved with a high-speed chase of a motorcycle in the Darien area and then a deputy reported some sort of confrontation on Route 20.

Seconds later he reported Taser deployed in front of My Saloon on Route 20 in Darien Center.

A Mercy EMS ambulance is requested to the scene.

Other law enforcement units are responding.

A possible house fire is reported at 3728 W. Main St. Road. Town of Batavia Fire Department is responding along with Alexander's Fast Team.

UPDATE 8:28 p.m. Alexander is cancelled, along with East Pembroke fire.

A motor-vehicle accident with injury is reported on the eastbound Thruway at mile marker 386. Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 8:30 p.m.: A male is being taken to UMMC for evaluation, with no complaints of pain. This was a car / deer accident.

A BBQ grill fire is reported at 118 Bank St. in the backyard. City fire is responding.

UPDATE 5:26 p.m.: Firefighters on scene report nothing showing.

UPDATE 5:27 p.m.: Fire is out. Firefighters are returning to quarters.

UPDATE 5:30 p.m.: It was a grease fire. The assignment is in service.

A motor-vehicle accident has been reported on the Thruway in the area of mile marker 386.7 in the eastbound lane.

As many as three cars may be involved and there are possible injuries.

Town of Batavia Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 4:52 p.m.: Fire crews on scene. There are no reports of any serious injuries.

Le Roy Christian Community Project celebrated its 15th anniversary today with a picnic in Trigon Park, which featured chicken BBQ, live music, games, booths and beautiful spring sunshine.

LCCP is a coalition of Le Roy churches that provides a variety of outreach and community services to the people of Le Roy, including after school programs, free weekly meals and a caregivers support group.

Press release:

Genesee ARC’s Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony is an opportunity to celebrate and say thank you to those who have made a difference to Genesee ARC over the past year.

In addressing guests at Friday’s event at the Clarion Hotel, Executive Director Donna Saskowski described the last 12 months as challenging.

“We have faced the loss of a major contract (trash and recycling) as well as state budget reductions that may change how we do business in the future,” Saskowski said. "However, through all of that I continue to see a very dedicated group of staff and supportive families working to help guide our way."

Looking to the future, Saskowski said, “We are not going anywhere; we are here for the long haul. I can say this with conviction because our mission is to provide supports and services to individuals with disabilities and their families.”

The 2013 Spirit of ARC Award was presented to the Genesee County Office for the Aging and Director Pamela Whitmore. This award was established eight years ago to recognize an organization, business, family or individual that exemplifies the mission of ARC. Genesee ARC’s relationship with the Office for the Aging began more than three years ago when they reached out to ARC’s vocational department to request assistance in setting up tables for various activities at the Senior Center on Bank Street. This has resulted in part-time employment for three or four people several times per week ever since.

Earlier this year, Genesee ARC’s Culinary Arts Program was awarded the contract to provide meals for Genesee County’s Meals on Wheels program.

“This was the beginning of four new jobs for people we support,” Saskowski said. “Ten months later we are producing more than 100 meals daily and this contract maintains employment for those four people who are also doing something they love.”

Additionally, the Genesee County Office of the Aging provides support to some ARC seniors and assistance with tax preparation each year for many people served by ARC.

Volunteer of the Year honors were presented to Dawn Fisher, a Human Services teacher at Genesee Valley Educational Partnership.

Saskowski said, “Dawn embraces the values of integrity, honesty, and independence and is always looking for integration opportunities for people with disabilities.”

Fisher coordinates many activities involving her human services students and individuals from ARC. The Volunteer of the Year is also active in the Challenger Sports program, is a key volunteer for the Challenger Winter Fun Day and is a longtime member of the Down Syndrome Parent Support Group of Genesee County that has been supportive of Genesee ARC’s mission.

In the youth category, the spotlight was on Ashley McCormack, 12, of Darien as she was presented Youth Spotlight Award. ARC Director of Development Shelley Falitico presented the award and shared that when Ashley has a goal in mind, she does everything she can to accomplish it!

“Last fall Ashley raised $875.00 for Genesee ARC through the Challenger Sports Bowling Party. In 2010, she raised $610,” Falitico said.

Ashley has been involved in Challenger Sports since ARC’s collaboration with the YMCA began seven years ago.

“Whether soccer, dance, bowling or baseball, Ashley always gives 110 percent,” Falitico said.  

Friend of ARC Awards were presented to:

Laverne Bates, for helping develop a golf program for individuals with disabilities served by Genesee ARC and for enlisting the enthusiastic volunteer support of his family;

Ben Bonarigo, in recognition of his longtime support and commitment of Genesee ARC programs and services;

Deirdre Pehrson, a special education teacher at Genesee Valley Educational Partnership for going above and beyond to help her students excel and succeed;

Mosman Paint & Wallpaper for the difference they make in the lives of individuals with disabilities at the Genesee ARC Day Habilitation Center by donating items used for arts and crafts;

Brandon Armstrong, owner of City Styles Barber Shop, was recognized for his welcoming ways with individuals from one of ARC’s residences, who are customers of the shop;

and Cory Weber, a volunteer who has helped out with Special Olympics Track & Field, Softball and Snowshoeing competitions.

The following received Genesee ARC Achievement awards: Tyler Kreutter,
Stacy Gill, Deborah Lehman, Sarah Dieck, Jennifer Pawlak, Betsy Hamilton, Valerie Penepent, Terry Warters and Samuel Russell.

Genesee Staff Shining Star honorees for 2013 are: Vanessa Dempsey, Medicaid Service coordinator; Theresa O’Hearn, Day Habilitation specialist; Catherine Pangrazio, bus aide; Rebecca Podlasek, Culinary Arts specialist and Karen Roesch, residential assistant.

Longevity awards went to the following individuals: Dan O’Grady, Joe Barone and George Hughes -- 40 years;  Madaline Cleveland, Jeff Glazier, Liana Harding -- 35 years; Julieanne George, Sherry Markle -- 30 years; Judy Chapell, Ben Conwell, Paul Alexander -- 25 years; William, Joseph Mergler, Paul Miller, Alan Nygard, Cheryl Squires, Dolores Wanser, Rebecca Ritz and Marguerite Rodriguez -- 20 years.

Staff longevity award recipients were: Sandy Konfederath -- 20 years; Joseph Hoak, Teresa Hodge, Nicole Mudrzynski and Traci Manes -- 15 years;  Andrea Anderson, Leoti Cudney, Jennifer Elmore, Sandra Moskal, Catherine Schultz and April Zeilman -- 10 years.

The Master of Ceremonies was Assemblyman Steve Hawley. There were more than 325 guests in attendance at the banquet, which also serves as Genesee ARC’s official annual meeting.

Board Officers for the upcoming year are: Candie Pocock, president; Debrah Fischer, vice president; Jane Scott, treasurer and Deborah Riggi, secretary.

Photo from Genesee ARC. Pictured are, Pam Whitmore, representing the Genesee County Office for the Aging -- Spirit of ARC Award; Dawn Fisher -- Volunteer of the Year; Assemblyman Steve Hawley -- Master of Ceremonies; Donna Saskowski -- ARC Executive Director, and (seated), Ashley McCormack -- Youth Spotlight Award.

A couple is roadside in the area of Prole Road and Horseshoe Lake Road with a Great Dane who is "very friendly" that they found wandering in the area.

The animal control officer is on another call and about to go off shift, so a dispatcher raised a deputy on air and informed him, "I guess you're the Great Dane catcher today."

"It's what I live for," responds the deputy drolly.

UPDATE: The owner has been located and the deputy can stand down.

A two-car accident is reported at Akron and Alleghany roads. It is blocking traffic. Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments and medics are responding. Fire Police are at the scene handling traffic. One person has a minor chest injury.

Press release:

The Dwyer Stadium Box Office opens for the 2013 season at 9 a.m. Monday, May 20. Tickets for Opening Day and ALL regular season games for the 2013 season will be on sale. The box office will be open until 5 p.m.

Normal box office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Fans interested in season tickets can also stop by the stadium and pick out their seat for the 2013 season.

The Muckdogs open their 2013 home schedule on Tuesday, June 18th vs. the Auburn Doubledays at 7:05 p.m.

The Batavia Muckdogs, Genesee County’s only professional sports franchise, have also released their 2013 slogan of "Muckdogs Magic." Part of this magic is the new and improved promotional schedule featuring fireworks, giveaways, special events, and daily promotions.

The Muckdogs will again offer fans a daily menu of money-saving promotions available throughout the season.

Each week the magic begins with Muckdog Mondays sponsored by The Daily News. Every Monday home game, fans can magically get a free ticket to the game. All they need to do is purchase one General Admission ticket, grab a coupon out of the Saturday edition of The Daily News; and viola! A FREE TICKET!

The magic only gets better when Tuesday’s roll around with Kids’ Tuesday Night Tickets courtesy of New York’s 529 College Savings Program. Every Tuesday home game, the first 50 kids accompanied by an adult will receive a free General Admission ticket.

On Wednesday, the magic expands to the entire family with our Family Four Packs presented by MVP Healthcare. Fans can purchase four general admission tickets, four hot dogs, four 12 oz. sodas and a 2013 program for only $30, a savings of $14.

On Thursday nights, Bob Evans Restaurant helps spread the magic when they will sponsor our Kids Eat Free promotion. At every Thursday home game, the first 100 kids 12 & under will receive a voucher for a free hot dog, soda and snack item.

Friday nights will once again bring magic to the stadium as fireworks will again light up the sky after every Friday night game at Dwyer Stadium, as well as on the annual Independence Day celebration on July 3rd.

Every Saturday will feature some magical pre-game concerts in the concourse. These “Rock the Ballpark” events are presented by Tim Horton’s of Batavia and New Buffalo Impact with Papa and Mama Root, an oldies rock and roll tribute band, and original music recording artists. All performances begin at 6 p.m. and are weather permitting.

A new addition to the lineup this year is Sudsy Saturday presented by Eastown Beverage and Redemption Center. Every Saturday home game, 12-oz. Genny Light drafts will be just $1 from 6 to 7 p.m.

At Sunday home games, kids can run the bases with Homer after the game, courtesy of Bob Evans Restaurant, helping to create some magical memories. Also on Sundays, the first 100 seniors will magically receive a voucher for a free hot dog, soda/coffee, and a bag of pretzels courtesy of The Williams Law Firm.

Other games of note on the Muckdog Magic schedule include:

Opening Day/Magnet Schedule Giveaway                            Tuesday, June 18th 
Irish Night                                                                               Thursday, June 20th
Muckdogs Car Decal Giveaway                                             Saturday, June 22nd
Personal First Aid Kit Giveaway                                            Friday, June 28th       
Independence Day Celebration Fireworks                            Wednesday, July 3rd  
Prostate Cancer Awareness Day                                           Sunday, July 14th
1960 Cy Young Winner Vern Law Autograph Appearance     Monday, July 15th
1970 Cy Young Winner Jim Perry Autograph Appearance     Tuesday, July 23rd

Bark in the Park                                                                     Sunday, July 28th       
Team Photo Giveaway                                                           Saturday, Aug. 10th   
Post-Game Candy Drop from a Helicopter                              Sunday, Aug. 11th  
'80s & '90s Rack Pack Card Giveaway                                    Saturday, Aug. 17th
Genesee Valley Penny Saver Giveaway                                Wednesday, Aug. 21st                                                                                
Fireworks Nights will be as follows: June 21st, June 28th, July 3rd, July 12th, Aug. 9th, and Aug. 16th.

Location: Dwyer Stadium, 299 Bank St., Batavia

Phone: 585-343-5454 / Fax: 585-343-5620

Web site: www.muckdogs.com <http://www.muckdogs.com

The Batavia Muckdogs are the short-season, Class A affiliate of the Miami Marlins and are the last remaining founding member of the New York-Penn League, dating back to 1939. The Batavia Muckdogs are operated by the neighboring Rochester Red Wings.

The Notre Dame girls softball team closed out the season Friday with a come-from-behind victory over Lyndonville in game played at GCC.

As the defending state champions, the Fighting Irish finish out the season with a 10-8 record, which is good enough to make it to the first round of sectional play, but Head Coach Rick Mancuso said the team still needs to eliminate some mistakes to advance further.

"We're getting better," Mancuso said. "The girls are working really hard. We're not probably where we want to be, but we'll see what happens. We'll throw our hat out there and see how it goes."

Friday's game was a seesaw battle, with Notre Dame and Lyndonville exchange the lead just about every inning.

Going into the bottom of the seventh, down 10-9, the Irish needed to string some hits together and plate two runs to pull out a victory.

The team was loose and confident at the start of the inning and got the job done to notch an 11-10 victory.

"The girls did a great job of rallying back any time we got down," Mancuso said. "They showed a lot of character today."

In the slide show is the sequence of shots from Maddie Mancuso's slide into home in the 4th inning. She was called out. You make the call.

To purchase prints, click here.

The Lyndonville Tigers, a semi-pro football team that plays all of its home games at Pembroke Town Park, will hold a scrimmage at 3 p.m. tomorrow and is inviting local football fans out to the park to see the team.

The event is free.

Players 18 and older are also encouraged to come out and learn more about the team.

The Tigers are entering their third season playing in Pembroke and the team is 10 years old. The NFA has 16 teams.

"We have a great returning roster but are always looking for new players and I think our pre-season scrimmage is a great way for interested parties to come feel out the team," said Taylor McCabe, president of football operations for the Tigers.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,I,C-Batavia) recently voiced his support for the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) and its successful efforts to attract a Dick’s Sporting Goods store to Towne Centre Mall in Batavia. The group was able to secure the store’s move through pro-business tax incentives, which will create local employment opportunities and increase sales tax revenue to support local programs and services. Hawley defended GCEDC against attacks from Buffalo-area Assemblyman Sean Ryan, who has publicly criticized the local economic development effort.

“Here in Batavia and across Genesee County, we deserve access to both consumer choice and employment opportunities. By attracting Dick’s to Towne Centre Mall, GCEDC has helped bolster both,” Hawley said. “Assemblyman Ryan’s attacks on our local economy are completely uncalled for. While he purports to be concerned with the use of state tax dollars, surely he would agree that one of the highest-taxed states in the nation has bigger fish to fry than Genesee County’s legal ability to strengthen its own economy. I believe it is in the best interests of all involved that assembly members focus on their own constituents and that he focuses on revitalizing Buffalo’s economy.”

“The GCEDC was created to help increase the tax base, create new jobs as well as bring new investment and revenues into our community. This project fulfills all of these criteria and without our assistance, these benefits would not be realized,” said Steve Hyde, president and CEO of the GCEDC. “The project will create jobs, increase sales tax revenue, bring new goods and services into the community, and reinvigorate what is currently a large, vacant space located at the gateway of our community off of I-90.”

Hawley noted the crucial role the GCEDC has played in attracting job creators to Genesee County and keeping them here long-term.

“Between the Genesee Valley Agri-business Park, Oakta Hills and countless other projects, GCEDC has long been at the forefront of job creation and economic development in our community,” Hawley said. “Throughout my time in the Assembly, we have worked diligently to revitalize our local economy, and GCEDC has my full support in its effort to bring jobs to our community.”

A car and tractor-trailer accident is reported at routes 63 and 20, Texaco Town. The driver of the semi reportedly suffered "seizure-like activity" but is now "up and walking." The accident is blocking traffic. Pavilion Fire Department is responding for traffic control, along with Mercy medics. Law enforcement is on scene. The driver of the car is OK.

UPDATE 6:53 p.m.: The semi is a "heavy wrecker" partially in the ditch. It can probably be driven away once it's pulled out of the ditch, but the current driver will not likely be able to do that. The turning lane is blocked and traffic is backing up.

UPDATE 7:22 p.m.: Pavilion assignment is back in service.

UPDATE 8:27 p.m.: The roads are reopened.

A 6-year-old girl has been hit by a car in Pembroke on Galloway Road, near Slusher. Mercy Flight out of Batavia is responding, along with Mercy medics and East Pembroke Fire Department.

UPDATE 4:33 p.m.: Mercy Flight has landed.

UPDATE 4:41 p.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne and headed to Women and Children's Hospital in Buffalo.

UPDATE 4:54 p.m.: All responders are back in service.

Press release:

“The Genesee County Economic Development Center requested and received a legal opinion regarding the approval of tax incentives for the COR Development project in the Town of Batavia as well as whether the project is legally exempt from new retail provisions recently passed into state law.

“We are pleased to announce that this opinion supports the recent vote by our board to approve these incentives as well as the exemption to the new law.

“The GCEDC strongly believes that this project will bring goods into the community that are not currently available to area residents. It should be noted that other tenants also will be opening in near future providing residents with other goods and services in what is currently a large vacant space located at the gateway of our community off of the I-90.”

“More importantly, the sales tax revenues that will be generated in just one year will be more than the incentives provided to the developer. The GCEDC was created to help create new jobs as well as bring new investment and revenues into our community. This project fulfills all of these criteria and without our assistance these benefits would not be realized.”

Downoad: PDF of Attorney's Letter.

Batavia PD is looking for the public's assistance in identifying a hit-and-run driver who struck a parked car in front of 19 Vine St., Batavia, at 8:24 a.m., Thursday.

Both vehicles were damaged in the accident.

The suspect vehicle is described as a dark colored compact. It is missing its right side view mirror. It was last seen heading southbound on Vine Street.

Anybody with information to share can reach out to Officer Thad Mart, (585) 345-6450.

This is the second in a series of profiles of Genesee County's farms and farmers.

Working the muck has never been easy.

When third-generation muck farmer Joe Bezon was a boy, he would work alongside his mother, each on their hands and knees, pulling weeds.

Seeds were planted by hand and it took manual labor to bring in the crop. When muck is wet, it's deep and muddy ground. When it's dry, the fine dust gets in your eyes and nose and the sun's rays radiate heat off the black soil.

Today, machinery and chemicals make sowing, harvesting and weeding easier, but no machine can control Mother Nature, or the government.

Winds damage crops and workers are harder to find as the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) rounds up all the farm labor.

Still, Bezon, in his 75th year, toils on, and is quite happy doing it.

"I enjoy it and I got this (highland in Byron, where we were standing talking) and that (muckland in Orleans County) down there and I've got a son who helps me all the time," Bezon said. "If I had to do it all myself, it would be a different story."

Today, Bezon & Sons Farm is 383 acres, with 110 acres of muckland, and is run by Joe, his wife Edith, son Joey and son-in-law Jim.

The Bezons, along with the Mortellaros and the Halats, are the last of the original muckland farmers in Genesee County.

Before the 1950s, there were as many as 160 families working the muck, each with plots of three to 10 acres of land.

As machinery was invented to make farming muck easier, and more and more farmers figured there has got to be an easier way to make a living, the families of the muck thinned out.

The Bezons were among the first to start consolidating their holdings.

Joey Bezon, who like his father has been working the muck his whole life, is perhaps the last Bezon who will farm the muck, unless his son, who now works for CY Farms, decides to work the Bezon land some day.

"I have a little bit of pride in it because we're one of the only ones who stuck with it," Joey said. "There was something like 160 some 40 or 50 years ago and everybody just kind of threw in the towel except for only a handful who are left and could stay with it. We used to be big or medium size and now we're one of the smallest ones. How long we can stay in the game with everybody else getting bigger, that's the challenge."

Muckland is reclaimed swampland. Over hundreds of years, trees and vegetation rotted in standing water to create a rich black soil that is full of tiny wood chips, making it both porous and a good medium for retaining moisture. It's about 80 percent organic matter.

Early muckers grew carrots, lettuce, spinach, potatoes and onions. Today, onions are the big muck crop locally, with some potatoes, and some of the more played-out muck west of Route 98 is used to grow turf.

Onions need deep, loose well-drained soil that retains moisture. There's big onion production in the desert soil of California, but the black muck of Genesee and Orleans counties has more organic matter and retains moisture better.

"Muck is special because unlike sandy soils or clay soils, the roots grow aggressively in it and they get enough moisture to form the onion," said Paul Mortellaro who has also been working mucklands his entire life with his family.

We call it the Elba Muck, but a majority of the 6,000 acres of muck still being farmed is in Orleans County. There's a lot in Byron, and just a corner of the southwest part of the fields are in Elba. 

Elba may host the Onion Festival, but there hasn't been an onion grown in Elba for years, as far as anybody knows.

There was once more farmable muck in Elba, but to be useful, the mucklands need to be several feet deep. Much of the muck farms in Elba have been lost to oxidation and wind. What little of it left is used to grown corn and turf.

The local muckland was once part of the Alabama Swamp, which once covered 25,000 acres. 

After the turn of the 20th Century, local residents were increasingly concerned about odor, mosquitoes and disease associated with the swamplands in Elba and Byron. (source for historical background)

Perhaps the entire Alabama Swamp would have been drained at the time, but much of the area has rocks and stone much closer to the surface than the Elba Muck. To be tillable, muck must be several feet deep.

And even to this day, farmers still pull out rotting tree stumps that work their way to the surface of the muck every spring.

It took the invention of the steam shovel to make draining the swamps possible.

Western New York Farms Company, based in New York City, owned 9,000 acres of muckland, and at the urging of state officials, drainage work started in 1913. By 1914, there were eight miles of canals 20 feet deep in place and lumberjacks started removing trees.

Farming started in 1915.

While muck farming was immediately successful, Farms Co. always intended to lease the land to tenant farmers, and the first leases were signed in 1916. The first year, Farms Co. leased land for $50 an acre and made machinery and assistance available to farmers. The next year, prices dropped to $35 an acre, but no more help came from Farms Co.

In 1927, Farms Co. decided to sell off its land, offering plots on favorable terms to farmers.

Edith Bezon isn't sure when Joe's father and mother first bought into the mucklands. It was before 1936.

The elder Bezon was the son of a muck farmer 17 miles to the west. Joe Bezon said when his grandfather died he had a chance to take over that farm, but he couldn't see farming Elba Muck and muck 17 miles away.

The Bezon's started out with a couple of 10-acre plots that they worked by hand.

When Joe's mother was weeding, she used onion crates as cribs for her boys.

"I can picture that," Joe said. "I can take you down where the shade was. There was a lean-to. They'd put us in a crate and put another one on top of it. There was a ditch right along the muck. I filled it all in and put tile in it. She would put us in the lean-to and she'd take straps and tie two crates together and set us there."

It was the only way to keep the rambunctious boys safe while she worked.

"We would say we wouldn't, don't worry we won't, we won't go out there," Joe said. "But as soon as they got down to the second plot and they'd have their backs to us, we'd run down the road with a wheelbarrow that they carried the weeds with. We would run up and down the road with it. Of course, in those days, there was traffic going, but heck, today, there's no traffic down there."

As time went on, Joe's father diversified his holdings. He bought other land, including ranch land on Oak Orchard Road in Elba where he started raising Angus. Today, that land is a dairy farm owned by Joe's younger brother, Eugene.

Joe's older brother left the muck for good when he went off to fight in World War II.

When he returned, he helped his father run his two motels -- the Sunset Motel on West Main Street Road, Batavia, and the Park Oak Motel, once just off Route 98 and the Thruway exit in Batavia.

Joe and Edith grew up together. Both went to Elba Central School.

When they were first married, they had a place on Pekin Road, but in 1966 bought a farm and farmhouse on Searls Road, Byron.

There they raised their two sons -- Joey and Rick -- and two daughters -- Laurie and Amanda.

Laurie now lives just down the road. She married Jim, who works with Bezon & Sons and Amanda went to work in pharmaceuticals and lives in Philadelphia.

"She enjoys the city life," Edith said. "She always said, 'I only showed 4-H because my dad made me.' "

Rick works at Genesee Community College.

Joe and Edith have five grandchildren.

"The family is growing, but I don't know about being farmers," Edith said.

"We don't have any of the grandchildren working here because it's such a hard life and most years there isn't a lot of money in it," Edith said. "The past few years, we've been doing good, but in 2010, we had no crop at all on the muck. We got flooded out and it was so late, we couldn't put seed in. We had to go to crop insurance, but that's the first time we ever had to do it."

Besides onions on the muck -- the only crop the Bezons have ever grown on the muck -- the family grows on its upland farm cabbage, corn and soy beans.

For years, the Bezons would put in 20 acres of cabbage, which can be a pretty lucrative crop in good years, but the short supply of farm labor has them cutting back to 12 acres this year.

"It's all gone back to the family doing all of the work," Edith said. "I wish they would come up with a program for us where we could hire workers and not worry about the INS coming in and getting them all."

She said when there are immigration raids, officials round up all the workers -- here legally or not -- and take all of them back to Batavia to sort out, which is a major disruption the farm work.

On the farm, Joe also raises beef cattle. Edith calls it his hobby. Joe says it's the favorite part of farming.

All of the Bezon cattle is slaughtered and butchered right on the farm by Joey. The meat is sold to local residents -- the ones who pay their bills, Joe said.

By this time of year, the Bezons have finished planting their onion seeds.

While the Torreys and some other muck farms plant seedlings, the Bezons prefer seeds. 

Onion seeds are very, very tiny. They are rolled in clay, which helps make it easier to plant the seeds using machines.

Rows of barley are planted between the rows of onions to help prevent wind erosion of the muck and protect the tender baby onion leaves from wind damage.

There are little wood chips in the muck that can tear an onion leaf to shreds.

"The wind moves those little chips around like buzz saws and they will cut the tops right off," Edith said.

In the early part of the growing season, onions are in a precarious state. Paul Mortellaro said it isn't unusual to lose one in four acres of new plants to wind.

The Mortellaros typically plant seedlings, but whether seedlings or seeds, when you account for the plants, the fertilizer, the labor, the land costs, taxes and the water, expenses for an acre of onions is from $2,500 to $5,000.

The good years -- which don't happen often, Mortellaro said -- can generate about $12,000 per acre in revenue.

Some years, there's no profit, and perhaps even a loss on the onion fields of the mucklands.

The muck is like its own little microclimate, Mortellaro said. The black soil radiates the heat and makes the flatlands much like a desert in the midst of lush Western New York.

"I've seen it," Mortellaro said, "since the time I was 10 out there weeding -- clouds coming in from Buffalo and they totally disappear by the time they get to the Elba Muck. My brother and I used to speculate that there was a column of warm air rising up from the muck. It is a mini desert during the summertime. It can be really really dry."

If you have good eyes, on a dry, windy day, you can see spirals of dust rising 500 feet into the air, looking like a tornado, Mortellaro said.

The Torreys have added their own above-ground, automated irrigation system to their muck property, but the Bezons largely irrigate by hand.

There were years, Edith said, when she and Joe would sleep in their truck all night, waking at regular intervals to move the irrigation lines.

The Bezons put down about a ton of nitrogen fertilizer per acre of muck, Edith said.

You might think muck, being such an organically rich soil, wouldn't need fertilizer, but new plants in the spring need a lot of nitrogen to get started. After that, the wonders of the muck do the job, but the nitrogen once trapped by the swamp was long ago depleted.

"When they first broke up the muck, all this compost was giving up its nitrogen and it got to the point where it was all leached out," Mortellaro said. "After about five years, you couldn't grow a decent crop without putting those inputs into the muck, so going back as far as anybody can remember, you've had to put in quite a bit of fertilizer."

The onion harvest for the Bezons will be in late August or early September. Edith helps drive the harvest truck when the time comes.

The onions are first pulled out of the ground and left to sit in the sun for three days. The tops need to dry so they will fall off and not get caught up in the machinery.  Without that proper topping off, the onions are more susceptible to disease.

If there isn't three days of warm sun, it jeopardizes the harvest.

The onions are scooped up by a self-propelled onion harvester that was invented and built in Elba by Lee Shuknecht and Sons.

Throughout the growing season, the Bezons battle two of nature's persistent elements: Wind and weeds.

To Joe, some of his neighbors aren't very good muckers. They let weeds grow around their plots and don't do a very good job of maintaining their hedgerows.

Hedges, only about four-feet tall, separate plots in the mucklands. They act as wind breaks and catch some of the muck that might otherwise blow away.

Edith estimates that wind carries away about an inch of muck a year. She figures by the time her grandson is ready to retire -- if he becomes a mucker -- there won't be any muck left to farm.

It's not just wind, but also oxidation that depletes the muck, Mortellaro said.

The little particles of wood that make up muck dry out in the summer heat or during a winter drought just like old barn wood, Mortellaro said.

Even with wind and oxidation, Mortellaro isn't sure the muck is declining at the rate of an inch a year -- the process probably isn't that linear, but certainly, a lot of muck has disappeared over the past 90 years.

He's excavated enough around the the gravel roadways -- built on top of muck -- to see what the original level of the muck used to be, he said. He estimates that areas that were once 12-feet deep in muck are now nine-feet deep.

"It is discouraging," Mortelloro said. "You see the gravel road out there. The road doesn't go away and the fields keep getting lower."

The Bezons own 110 acres of muckland, but only 98 acres are tillable. There are swaths of former muckland that are now just rocks.

As for weeds, Joe is obsessive about weeds, Edith said.

You don't get good onions when weeds are growing in the fields, Joe said. Onions don't do well when competing for nutrients. At harvest, the weeds get all tangled up in the machinery and have to be picked out during grading.

"Joe has always really taken care of the land, because that's what he lives for, being down there mucking," Edith said. "He's been down there since he was born."

It used to be that weeds had to be removed by hand and carried off in bags or buckets. Now Joe uses mostly chemicals, he said.

"Weeding is not like it used to be," Joe said. "You were out there on your hands and knees. I've got pictures of my mother out on her hands and knees weeding in the muck. We didn't have chemicals in those days. Now, heck, you can put it out there and keep it clean."

Sure there are some hardships with farming muck, Joe said, but it's nothing like the old days.  The worst part of machine farming is maintaining the equipment. When it breaks, it is a lot more expensive to fix. 

So long as he's got help, though, Joe said he can handle the work.

All the machinery in the world can't change the weather or the wind or the nature of muck, Edith said.

"You've always got to be one step ahead of Mother Nature," Edith said. "Out here, some days, she can be very cruel."

Joe and Edith on one of their upland plots. Joe was plowing that day, preparing the field for planting.

Joey Bezon in a field that will soon be growing corn. The tractor is a loaner because one of the Bezon's tractors was in the shop being repaired. As farm machinery has gotten more complex, it's more expensive to fix and harder for the farmer to do it himself.

Muck -- sifted a bit by the wind so that the wood chips are a little more visible.

Onions and barley growing in a muck field. If you look at the picture in the slide show below at full-screen resolution, the little onion sprouts will be easier to see. In the distance, rocks that were once buried by muck. Wind and oxidation are reducing the amount of muck in the mucklands every year.

A one-vehicle rollover accident with injuries is reported at 5491 Broadway Road. Bethany Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding. The driver has "head and neck pain." The pickup truck's fuel spilled. One lane of traffic is blocked. The accident occurred "on the east side of the hill," near a "dip in the road where the viaduct is." Pavilion Fire Police are also called. A responder says it may be possible to have the other lane remain open.

UPDATE 8:16 a.m.: The vehicle involved is a four-wheel drive Ford F-250 with ag plates.

UPDATE 8:25 a.m.: They are alternating the traffic flow. A flatbed tow is called.

UPDATE 8:52 a.m.: Bethany assignment back in service.

Press release:

The Landmark Society of Genesee County announces the winners of the Society’s 2013 4th Grade Architectural Drawing Contest.

The 2013 Awards Ceremony held on May 9 at the Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia. Fourth-grade students from Elba Central School and Byron-Bergen Central School participated. The following awards were given:

First Place -- Mason Singer; Byron Bergen; drawing. He received $50, a framed certificate and a copy of the book "The Architectural Heritage of Genesee County."

Second Place -- Zachary Howard; Elba; watercolor

Third Place -- Lilliana Thompson; Elba; cardboard bas relief

The second- and third-place winners each received $25, a framed certificate, and a copy of "The Architectural Heritage of Genesee County."

Honorable Mentions from Byron-Bergen included: Eden Goft, Jonah Clare, Sara Goodman, Ricky Denson, Joshua Swapceinski, and John Mercovich.

Honorable Mentions from Elba included: Kiah Rosendale, Brynn Walczak, Jessica Andrade, Anthony Zambito, and Madison Meuhlig.

The judges for this year’s contest were Laurie and Felipe Oltramari.  Mrs. Oltramari is employed at the City of Batavia Business Improvement District. Mr. Oltramari is director of planning for Genesee County.  Both are members of the Landmark Society of Genesee County and Mrs. Oltramari has previously served as president of the organization. Stephanie Rudman from Elba Central School coordinated the contest and Melissa Coniglio from Byron-Bergen Central School assisted.