On June 20 – the first day of summer and as part of June is Dairy Month and in anticipation of July is Ice Cream Month – New York State Assemblymember Robert Smullen spent the day visiting farms in his Assembly District, which includes parts of the state’s North Country and Mohawk Valley. Smullen represents Barneveld, Holland Patent, Remsen, Westernville and Steuben in Oneida County.
His first stop was at our farm. I tried to give him a quick tour of my farm, but we all know nothing is quick with Farmer Ben! I brought him around to three of the six farms that make up the Simons Family Farms, along with our logging/firewood operation and our corn and soybean grain facility.
Then we stopped in at Six Point Acres, owned by Rob and Tammy Maciol. I was given permission as Rob was preoccupied to give a tour, and we were able to see their beautiful herd of beef cattle and horses.
Farmer Ben Simons (left) and Assemblymember Robert Smullen. Photo courtesy of Smullen’s staff
We then went on to visit the Finndale Farms, where Stephanie Finn gave a nice tour of their new calf barn and their new dairy barn that’s under construction.
Smullen said, “It was an enjoyable visit and I had the opportunity to discuss and explore the range of factors that affect the farmers of our rural communities. Many of the issues farmers face include, but are not limited to, equipment prices, the cost of doing business and state regulations.
“Our farmers wake up every day and work hard to provide our communities with milk and dairy products,” said Smullen.
He also said, “I cannot wait to revisit Farmer Ben, Rancher Rob Maciol and Troy and Stephanie Finn again soon and check out that wonderful view from Starr Hill.”
I, Farmer Ben, want to publicly thank Assemblymen Smullen for taking the time out of his busy schedule to tour and take in the various issues that farmers deal with on a daily basis in Oneida County.
by Ben Simons
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