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KINGSTON TWP. — For the first time in 10 years, The Lands at Hillside Farms has restricted the public from entering its dairy barn due to legal threats by visitors.
The Lands at Hillside Farms, a nonprofit dairy farm, has encouraged the public to walk paths around the farm and observe the dairy herd in action, including being milked in the century-old barn.
The purpose of the “all access” was to provide a free and educational experience about agriculture, said Chet Mozloom, executive director of The Lands at Hillside Farms in Shavertown.
Three accidents resulting in guests being injured on the property cast a shadow of paranoia and caution over the farm staff.
The first accident occurred two summers ago when a guest tripped and fell, breaking their arm, Mozloom said.
“This is a farm; the ground is uneven,” Mozloom said. “All paths and buildings are ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible.”
Mozloom said the staff checked over the individual but weeks later received an intent to sue letter from an attorney. The case was settled out of court, he said.
A second incident involved a visitor struck by a branch that fell out of a tree on a stormy day near the alpacas, Mozloom said. The guest understood it was a weather-related accident and was pleased with a gift certificate, he said.
The third accident occurred this summer when a child sustained a nose bleed when it put its face near a cow for a picture in the dairy barn, Mozloom said.
“I think the cow raised its head and bumped into the child,” he said. “I was told the child had a severe nose bleed.”
Again, the farm received an intent to sue letter, Mozloom said.
Hillside’s dairy herd consists of 65 Jersey and Lineback cows who all have a gentle disposition, Mozloom said.
A wooden walkway in the dairy barn ushers visitors in front of the cows, Mozloom said. Any other fencing impeded the dairy workers’ ability to milk the cows.
“We loved having the dairy barn open to the public,” he said.
Mozloom and his staff have been working on a solution to allow people back into the barn, but ideas such as security cameras or having an employee stationed there at all times are costly to the nonprofit farm.
Currently, the public can view the herd through a Dutch door on a dairy barn, Mozloom said. A “Nursery Barn” is open where calves can be visited, he said.
The Carriage House that houses goats, a pig and donkeys and a pony, is open to the public.
The public’s reaction has been one of disappointment, Nora Gallup, manager of The Lands At Hillside Farms Dairy Store.
“They (guests) are upset,” she said. “They bring their children to see the cows, and they can’t get into the barn. We get questioned every weekend.”
