Mennonite Community Volunteers to Help Central New York Farmers Clear Snow

The heavy snow has devastated Central New York's farming community.

Numerous barns across the Mohawk Valley have collapsed, resulting in the death of countless cattle and other livestock.

Read More: Cows Trapped and Killed in Separate Barn Collapses in CNY

One of the hardest losses happened to the Pedersen family, who was getting ready to welcome dozens of calves this spring. Instead of expanding their herd to about 140 cattle, their barn collapsed and killed all but 26 of their cows.

Ben Simons, a local dairy farmer and friend of the WIBX Keeler show, spoke openly about how this winter has set the farming community back by what could be years.

He said some areas, especially around Tug Hill and the North Country, have received over 4 feet of snow within the first weeks of 2025.

"You cannot humanely keep up with all your roofs on your barns," he said. "The farmers are having a problem [...] animals are perishing."

Because the farming community is unable to keep up with snow removal, some of even the sturdiest barns are collapsing under the immense weight of the heavy snow.

To help prevent even more devastation, Simons says there are many willing to drop what they're doing and help those in dire need.

"There is a Mennonite community up in Lewis County that didn't get as much snow as we did in Oneida County and they have offered their community services to come down to Oneida County and help out the farmers," he explained.

Farmers in need of assistance can request help from the Lewis County Mennonite community via the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County. 

Simons says he believes the Mennonite community is not charging farmers for their assistance, adding, "This is community helping community."

WIBX has reached out to the Extension for clarification on possible fees and has yet to hear back.

Those in need of assistance clearing their barn roofs can contact the Extension by calling 315-736-3394 or by emailing oneida@cornell.edu for more information.

Farming Community Stepping up for Central New York

Simons also opened up about the recent disaster at the Pedersen Farm in Lee Center, where a barn collapse nearly wiped out their entire herd.

The barn holding the cows collapsed Sunday afternoon and calls to action immediately flooded social media, especially from their neighbors at Collins Farm and Creamery.

"[They] put out a post on Facebook saying they need excavators, bulldozers, steer loaders, and people that can handle animals," he explained, "Within 20 minutes, they couldn't get anywhere on the road because so many people [responded]."

Simons said there was a line of dump trucks along Route 12  and added the strong community response was "amazing. It's almost heartfelt."

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