Calves housed outside in extreme cold on Goshen farm renews debate over agriculture laws
The images, shared with News 12 by a nearby resident, show calves housed individually in plastic hutches lined up across Fort Hill Farm in Goshen and prompted calls to authorities.
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Young calves kept outside in plastic hutches at a farm in Orange County this week during the extreme cold are renewing the debate over animal care and New York's agriculture laws after a concerned neighbor photographed the conditions and alerted local animal activists and police.
The images, shared with News 12, show several calves housed individually in plastic hutches lined up across Fort Hill Farm in Goshen.
News 12 went to the farm Thursday and observed the calves up close. The animals were wearing blankets and tethered inside the hutches, with food available — but no water.
Farm owner Phil Johnson confirmed to News 12 that the calves do not have water out because of the freezing temperatures, saying it would freeze in the extreme cold.
“These calves are fed twice a day. They’re on milk, they’ve got grain and they’ve got hay,” Johnson said. “You see they have feed. They’re all inside and pretty content.”
Johnson says he has about 60 calves on the property, most of them being raised to become dairy cows. He strongly pushed back against allegations that the animals are not being properly cared for.
“These calves are worth between $1,000 and $2,000 a piece,” Johnson said. “We are not leaving them out here to die. We are taking care of them.”
Johnson, a fourth-generation farmer, said he was deeply upset by the scrutiny, noting that his family has endured generations of challenges in agriculture.
“This doesn’t make any sense,” Johnson said. “My great-grandparents, my grandparents, my parents — they got through Prohibition, they got through World War II. And now this is my turn, and I’m dealing with the general public.”
The debate comes as the region experiences prolonged extreme cold, with temperatures this week in the single digits and wind chills making it feel well below zero at times.
Animal welfare advocates acknowledge that housing calves in outdoor hutches is a common and legal industry practice, but argue it raises serious concerns during extreme winter weather.
Heather Hallack-Booker, a board member with the Hudson Valley SPCA, said current agriculture law leaves room for interpretation when it comes to how livestock should be protected from severe cold.
“There’s sort of an open debate about how to interpret some of the laws on the books,” Hallack-Booker said. “What is considered protection from the cold? What is considered sufficient based on age?”
She said while three-sided shelters are considered standard and legal, advocates question whether they are adequate for very young animals during extreme weather.
“The open question is, is this sufficient for a one- or two-month-old calf?” Hallack-Booker said. “Is that really OK, or is that cruelty?
In a statement to News 12, Rachel McCrystal, director of Woodstock Farm Sanctuary in Ulster County, said the practice of housing young calves alone in outdoor hutches is common in the industry but harmful — particularly during extreme cold.
“Removing calves from their mothers as newborns and confining them alone in small outdoor hutches causes emotional distress and puts them at risk for harm and even death in extreme weather events,” McCrystal said. She added that sub-zero wind chills forecast this week are “dangerous for young calves.”
Animal welfare activists say while the practice may be legal, it highlights what they believe are gaps in existing New York animal welfare laws.
State police say they responded to a report of possible animal neglect on Jan. 26 but determined the farm was not in violation of Agriculture and Markets Law. No charges were filed.
Animal advocates say the situation underscores a broader debate over whether current agriculture standards do enough to protect animals during increasingly extreme weather conditions.
