SCIPIO - The community came out to support a Scipio family whose business came to a standstill Wednesday morning after fire destroyed their milking barn and killed more than 60 calves and dairy cows.
Chet Susslin / The Citizen
The remains of the Valley Mound Farms milking parlor sit in the Wednesday afternoon sun. The fire broke out early Wednesday morning and destroyed the parlor. Dozens of cows and calves were killed in the fire.
The remains of the Valley Mound Farms milking parlor sit in the Wednesday afternoon sun. The fire broke out early Wednesday morning and destroyed the parlor. Dozens of cows and calves were killed in the fire.
Gloria Whitten, an owner of the family-run Valley Mound Farms, at 2480 Sherwood Road, Scipio, said a farmhand who was milking the cows came into the house screaming at about 2 a.m., waking up her and her husband, Gary Whitten.
“At first I thought some cows had just gotten out and she needed help, but when I stood up, I could see the fire from our bedroom,” Gloria said.
The farmhand had just finished milking the cows and was preparing to leave for the night when she smelled smoke and saw the wall engulfed in flames.
The electrical fire started in one of the ceiling's ventilation fans and then spread to some nearby hay before razing the whole building to the ground, burying the trapped cows under the debris.
The barn was originally owned by the Howland family in the 1880s before being purchased by the Whittens, who planned to celebrate their business' 100th anniversary this fall.
Cayuga County Deputy Fire Coordinator Jim Perkins said it took firefighters 2.5 hours to control the fire and another five hours to completely extinguish it. Fire crews had to bring in a backhoe to dig into the debris to remove any remaining hay that could refuel the fire.
The backhoe, in addition to a bulldozer, may also be used to dig graves for the cattle that died in the fire, Gary said. The state Health Department told the family that all of the animals' remains had to be buried by the end of the day.
But for the Whitten's, the cows were more than just animals, they were part of the family.
“Emotionally, they were like our children,” Gloria said. “We watched them start out as calves and then grow up into cows ... It's not like working with a machine. When your working with something alive they have a way of getting under your skin.”
The family was also forced to sell two cows they could not afford to house, and one cow had to be put down due to third-degree burns it had suffered on its face while trying to escape the fire, Gary said.
The loss of the business's only milking facility has forced the Whitten's to shut down production and ship nearly 270 of their dairy cows to neighboring farmers who volunteered to take care of the animals while the family decided what to do next, Gary said. The farm, which had more than 550 head of cattle, had been producing nearly 20,000 pounds of milk a day.
Joe Gleason, a relative, said the community's support for the family was typical in a rural area.
“City folk don't always understand, but when things like this happen, farmers come together to help each other out,” Gleason said.
In the meantime, the family will prepare for the rebuilding process, which may take more than a year.
“Maybe we can rebuild out back, bigger and better,” Gary said. “We have to talk to the insurance and the banks first. Money just doesn't grow on a tree. We haven't gotten that far yet.”
Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net
“At first I thought some cows had just gotten out and she needed help, but when I stood up, I could see the fire from our bedroom,” Gloria said.
The farmhand had just finished milking the cows and was preparing to leave for the night when she smelled smoke and saw the wall engulfed in flames.
The electrical fire started in one of the ceiling's ventilation fans and then spread to some nearby hay before razing the whole building to the ground, burying the trapped cows under the debris.
The barn was originally owned by the Howland family in the 1880s before being purchased by the Whittens, who planned to celebrate their business' 100th anniversary this fall.
Cayuga County Deputy Fire Coordinator Jim Perkins said it took firefighters 2.5 hours to control the fire and another five hours to completely extinguish it. Fire crews had to bring in a backhoe to dig into the debris to remove any remaining hay that could refuel the fire.
The backhoe, in addition to a bulldozer, may also be used to dig graves for the cattle that died in the fire, Gary said. The state Health Department told the family that all of the animals' remains had to be buried by the end of the day.
But for the Whitten's, the cows were more than just animals, they were part of the family.
“Emotionally, they were like our children,” Gloria said. “We watched them start out as calves and then grow up into cows ... It's not like working with a machine. When your working with something alive they have a way of getting under your skin.”
The family was also forced to sell two cows they could not afford to house, and one cow had to be put down due to third-degree burns it had suffered on its face while trying to escape the fire, Gary said.
The loss of the business's only milking facility has forced the Whitten's to shut down production and ship nearly 270 of their dairy cows to neighboring farmers who volunteered to take care of the animals while the family decided what to do next, Gary said. The farm, which had more than 550 head of cattle, had been producing nearly 20,000 pounds of milk a day.
Joe Gleason, a relative, said the community's support for the family was typical in a rural area.
“City folk don't always understand, but when things like this happen, farmers come together to help each other out,” Gleason said.
In the meantime, the family will prepare for the rebuilding process, which may take more than a year.
“Maybe we can rebuild out back, bigger and better,” Gary said. “We have to talk to the insurance and the banks first. Money just doesn't grow on a tree. We haven't gotten that far yet.”
Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net
