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Dairy farmer tells Montgomery County legislators lawsuits, social media and solar debates threaten family farms
Summary
Dairy farmer Ray Dimon told the Montgomery County Legislature that local lawsuits and online criticism are harming farmers and urged lawmakers to include landowners in discussions about solar projects and land use. He said solar panels could help struggling farms, but warned of economic and social pressures on dairy operations.
Ray Dimon, a dairy farmer from the town of Glenn, told the Montgomery County Legislature during public comment that recent appeals and lawsuits involving the town, the county and a farmland group are placing heavy pressure on local landowners.
"The last place a farmer wants to be is in front of this microphone," Dimon said, describing the stress of legal disputes. He said landowners have asked him who actually owns their property and whether the county will decide future uses of private land. "They didn't think it was very fair," he said of landowners who fear losing control over how their property is used.
Dimon recounted attacks on social media about his farm and said community members have posted inaccurate accounts of his operations. "Rather than coming and finding out the truth, they post nonsense on Facebook so everybody can get their chance to comment about what I do for a living," he said. He asked critics to visit and discuss concerns in person rather than posting online.
Turning to the economics of dairy, Dimon described severe financial pressures on farms: higher taxes, low milk prices and rising costs for labor and inputs. "If I can't find a home for my milk, I have to dump it," he said. He gave figures he attributed to broader trends, saying New York State has lost an average of 380 dairy farms per year over the last five years and that farm bankruptcies and suicide rates are climbing; he framed these numbers as his characterization of the industry's stresses rather than as independently verified counts.
Dimon said some farmers are considering solar panels as a supplemental revenue source and urged the legislature to allow a two-sided conversation that includes landowners. "Some of these farms can use these solar panels as a supplement to their dairy if they so choose and maybe they could stay in business and preserve the land," he said. He asked county leaders to involve landowners in future discussions and to avoid one-sided narratives.
The public-comment period in which Dimon spoke followed an earlier, brief public hearing on a Community Development Block Grant application that drew no comments and was adjourned.
The meeting continued into routine business and a long slate of resolutions before adjourning at 6:35 p.m.
