CLINTON, Maine ― T.J. Wright has owned Misty Meadows Farm for 20 years, and in his two decades on the farm, he has never experienced the kind of disregard for his livelihood that occurred in late November when vandals set about 500 of his dairy cows loose in the night.
“We never thought it would come to this, that you can’t leave the farm for a minute without worrying about someone coming onto your property and messing with things,” T.J. Wright said.
Misty Meadows Farm was one of three central Maine dairy farms that were vandalized last month. Also vandalized were Wright Place Farm, owned by T.J. Wright’s cousin Brian Wright in Clinton, and Meadowbrook Farm in China. Police do not believe the Clinton and China incidents are related.
Misty Meadows Farm received the brunt of the damage during the vandalism spree. On the night of Nov. 29 into Nov. 30, cows were let out of their pens at the farm on Hill Road and vandals shut off the cooling mechanism on a milk tank, which if it wasn’t caught in time would have cost T.J. Wright $10,000 worth of milk
After farm workers corralled the first 150 cows that were loose back into their pens, workers coming to the farm later in the night noticed another group of loose cows ― this time totaling about 500. One of the loose cows died when it fell into a drainage ditch and broke its neck.
“No one has ever done a thing like that before,” T.J. Wright said.
It took 12 to 14 hours for Misty Meadows Farm workers to get the loose cows back in their pens and to put the farm back in order after the chaos, but the negative impact of the vandalism carried into following weeks. T.J. Wright said dairy production at the farm was down about 4,000 pounds per day for about two weeks. Typically the farm produces about 50,000 pounds of milk per day.
The reduction in milk production was due to the stress the cows enured from their change in routine, Wright said. Nearly all of the farm’s 650 adult cows were let loose from their pens that night, and to get ahold of the situation quickly cows were put in whatever barns were closest rather than their normal barn. The relocation caused stress for the cows and a change in the food they were eating ― as different barns have slightly different feed ― thus altering the amount of milk they were able to produce until the cows adjusted to the change.
“It’s stress,” T.J Wright said. “They were all running around so we just put them in the first barn we could.”
On top of the revenue T.J. Wright lost during the two weeks of reduced milk production, the vandalism prompted him to install a surveillance system on his property at a $2,000 price tag.
Given the plethora of challenges dairy farmers face daily, such as fluctuating milk prices, T.J. Wright is disheartened that now he has to worry about vandals as well.
“We have enough of our own problems,” T.J. Wright said. “I guess we have to keep our eyes open looking forward.”
At Wright Place Farm, vandals shot out several street lights with a BB gun stolen from Misty Meadows Farm. Some farm equipment was also moved around, and a stash of candy that belonged to one of the farm’s employees was eaten.
Neither Brian or T.J. Wright said they knew of anyone who would seek out to vandalize their farms, but both agreed that the vandals were likely someone familiar with farming because they appeared to know where everything would be and how to manipulate mechanisms.
“It’s an uneasy feeling,” Brian Wright said.
Police have not charged anyone in connection to the Wright Place Farm and Misty Meadows Farm vandalism, but they have an idea of possible suspects, Clinton Police Chief Rusty Bell said in an email Tuesday.
On Dec. 6, two locks that were holding gates shut at Meadowbrook Farm in China were cut, releasing 15 full-grown cows and 10 calves from their pen, according to Sgt. Frank Hatch of the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office. Hatch said the the owner was able to return the cows to their pen when he noticed they were roaming. Police do not have any suspects in this case.
Based on a possible motive that police have identified, Bell said they do not believe the vandalism at Meadowbrook Farm is related to the Clinton incidents. Bell could not provide details on the possible motive.
“We are working on a few ideas but really without someone coming forward with new information we are in a holding pattern until something new comes up,” Bell said.