Milk Mayhem in Claverack New York

Jul 16, 2025
By Jean-Paul McDonald
Assistant Editor, North American Content, Farms.com

Dairy Dilemma - Plenty of Spilt Milk

The Columbia County Sheriff Department in New York state, shared photos, as well as an incident report on July 15th. They were investigating a single-vehicle accident involving a tractor-trailer on Gahbauer Road at the intersection with State Route 217 in the Town of Claverack, New York.

The tractor-trailer, which was transporting milk, overturned onto its side, resulting in a substantial spill. "The tractor-trailer, which was hauling milk, overturned on its side, resulting in a significant spill," the sheriff's office said.

Spilt Milk after Trailor Truck incident

The driver was transported to Albany Medical Center by the Greenport Rescue Squad for medical evaluation.

Assisting at the scene were the New York State Police, Columbia County Haz-Mat Team, DEC Response Team, and the Mellenville and Ghent Fire Companies.

No information is available on which farm the milk originated from.

The investigation is ongoing.

Photo Credit: Columbia County Sheriff Department

Video: WARNING! Rough Start To Breeding Season!!

WARNING! Sheep Breeding Season Begins With A Bang! Breeding season is officially underway at Ewetopia Farms, but it didn’t exactly start the way we planned!

This vlog begins with us sorting through our rams to find the perfect match for a customer’s breeding program. What should have been routine quickly turned dangerous when one of our more nervous rams panicked. In seconds, Arnie’s knee was injured, and then I was slammed hard onto the concrete floor — both of us taken down by one ram!

Thankfully, it was just bruises, but it’s a reminder of how unpredictable and powerful mature rams can be. Once we recovered, it was time to get back to the real work — the start of breeding season.

We sorted the ewes into four breeding groups (two Suffolk and two Dorset), checking parentage as they ran through the chute, deworming those that needed it, and setting aside thinner ewes for session two of breeding season in a month’s time.This staggered approach keeps lambing organized and prevents overcrowding in the barns.

From rogue rams to the excitement of new breeding groups, this episode is full of action. Stay tuned for the next vlog, where we’ll share how we chose the rams for each group!