Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences welcomes the public to its annual Empire Farm Days, the largest outdoor agricultural fair in the Northeast, to be held Aug. 5-7 at Rodman Lott and Son Farms, Route 414 in Seneca Falls, N.Y.

More than 600 exhibits of agricultural technology and products will be on display.

Cornell experts will be on hand to answer questions about methane digesters, switchgrass production, bioethanol, the Northeast Sun Grant Initiative, the new Biofuels Research Laboratory, Cornell's Renewable Bioenergy Initiative and the future of green energy. Staff members from Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine will answer animal health question, and other experts will field questions on sustainable and local food production, including organic dairy production.

Seminars and presentations will be held on dairy, field crops, horticulture and forestry. More than 30 interactive booths will provide information on everything from wine to cockroaches, and the public is encouraged to bring bugs and diseased plants for identification.

Samples of New York cheese, apples, wine, fresh-roasted corn and food products developed with Cornell expertise also will be available.

Cornell agricultural outreach and education students will staff an interactive children's corner, and young attendees will learn about the food cycle through hands-on activities.