Dean Pierson, Dairy Farmer, Kills 51 Cows Then Commits Suicide

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Dean Pierson, Dairy Farmer, Kills 51 Cows Then Commits Suicide

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/23/dean-pierson-dairy-farmer_n_434107.html

COPAKE, N.Y. — State police in New York say an upstate dairy farmer shot and killed 51 of his milk cows in his barn before turning the rifle on himself.

State police found the body of 59-year-old Dean Pierson in his Copake barn on Thursday. A visitor found a note Pierson had left on the barn door that said not to come in and to call police.

State police would only say that Pierson was having personal issues.

The Columbia County hamlet of Copake is about 115 miles north of New York City.

Local farmers buried the cows outside the barn Friday. They would not discuss Pierson or what had happened, but one of the men said these are hard times to be a farmer.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My condolences to his family...

How terrible ...

Tough times indeed, that lead a man to do this to his animals and to himself.

[hlthe2b]

7. It seems perverse... but I think the man may have truly thought that

he was doing what he could, given the circumstances to take care of these animals. I'm not defending the decision--certainly I would never defend a person who took out his kids before ending his life... However, I think as a farmer and caretaker to these animals in a very tough economic climate, his decision is a bit more understandable.

Very tragic, indeed.

[northernlights]

14. kids will be taken care of by society

animals, not so much. We gas millions of dogs and cats each year. His cows faced a much more uncertain and unhappy fate than anybody's children would.

[Leopolds Ghost]

2. Did he consider the cows to be his family?

Most of these murder-suicide cases involve loved ones. They "loved them to death."

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. He may have thought that if he wasn't there to milk them...

They would have suffered.

That's what came to my mind, anyway.

:shrug:

[hlthe2b]

8. Exactly....

These farmers really do care about their animals. After G. Britain's foot and mouth disease outbreak, there were many suicides among dairy farmers who had been forced to witness their infected or exposed cows be sacrificed and burned in front of them. It was horrendous.

[A HERETIC I AM]

27. I read articles that mention dairy farmers with small herds know each cow by a name.

I remember a few years back during the Hoof and Mouth scare in England, a televised interview with the wife of a dairy farmer. She was crying over the loss of their herd because she felt each cow was a member of their family.

Through tears she said "We'll never milk cows like these again. We loved each and every one of them."

The utter sorrow on that lady's face as she spoke so lovingly of her herd as it was put down was very powerful.

I've no doubt when I read stories like the OP that a similar sentiment could very well have been coursing through this fellows heart.

[hlthe2b]

41. I remember that well... I'd bet I saw the very same interview.

It was just about the most heart-breaking thing I could imagine. I get teary thinking about it still.

[dgibby]

43. My uncle had a dairy farm in Pa.

It was a large operation, all of the family,including the smallest grandchild knew each of those cows by name, their habits, which one kicked, etc. I always wanted to live there, but my parents thought I should stay with them in Va!

[gristy]

3. Dairy farming in NY is brutally difficult

Profit margins you can floss with, when they exist at all.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

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[hlthe2b]

9. Your (lack of ) compassion and judgemental attitude towards this tragedy

is quite telling. :eyes:

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

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[hlthe2b]

12. I somehow doubt from your post that YOU care about anyone

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

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[hlthe2b]

17. If you will take one moment to get off your high horse...

No one here is arguing that the wiser decision for this man would have been to make plans to have the cows humanely slaughtered and yes, to provide food for humans that were suffering hunger. But, this is a ridiculous argument for someone in so much personal mental pain that they would choose to end their own life. This man was suffering enough to feel that life was hopeless. Your arguing that he should have been more "sensible and pragmatic" in his decisions is an incredible argument to make and really shows your lack of understanding and, yes, lack of compassion.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

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[hlthe2b]

22. So you have repeatedly posted about...

as you say "moronic Democrats"-- and that "most progressives you know support people's decision to end their own lives if they see fit..."

So, apparently you are not including yourself as either a Democrat or Progressive. So, why are you here?

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

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[hlthe2b]

33. Again, given your apparent disdain for the rest of us...

given your posts to date, I don't know why you are here. You are new, so I hope it is simply your getting off on the wrong foot. You have come across as wanting to disrupt, to insult and not to discuss. TIme will undoubtedly show your intent.

[Make7]

32. Well, at least that one could spell. (Or at least use spell check.) n/t

[hlthe2b]

35. yes... I guess so.

[omega minimo]

29. go microfish elsewhere.

[jwirr]

13. I am glad you are not the one processing our beef. Animals must

be bled out very soon after death or they are not edible.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

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[omega minimo]

24. Dogfood pizza. That'll be a first

[EFerrari]

30. Mods are wicked fast.

Wow!

[omega minimo]

38. Seriesly

:hi:

[jwirr]

40. Yeah I didn't even get to read the appreciation for my post!

[tammywammy]

31. And the story doesn't reference how long it had been since they were killed

Imagine if it had been a day or longer. eww.

[omega minimo]

23. PISS OFF!

:evilfrown: SHOO! SCAT!!

[greenbird]

25. Typical of what or whom?

What in the world are you talking about?

[Violet_Crumble]

34. Thanks mods! That one's posts were really stinky n/t

[prairierose]

6. Since 1981. when the govt began supporting industrial agriculture instead of...

family farms, times have gotten worse and worse for the family farmer and there are few left. Most have incorporated to try to save their farms but sometimes, that is not enough.

[MadMaddie]

39. This is the most important thing that is overlooked

Our small farmers are being pushed out of their livelihood and corporations are moving in and destroying the industries. The question is when big agri decides (like Walmart) that the land they are farming is no longer profitable what happens? Like Walmart they will move it and leave the region devastated and the land ruined. It's only a matter of time.

Look at Haiti and how well that worked out. Haiti's population used to live on farms and farmed but when the corrupt government allowed big agrifarms to move in it forced the population to move to the all ready over populated cities.

[Bluerthanblue]

42. "Whole herd buyouts" hurt our local

agriculture more than most people realize.

[Kaleva]

10. Worst murder-suicide in US farming history.

[amborin]

18. sounding like poor farmers in India, crushed by loan burdens, etc..n/t

[ElmoBlatz]

19. I'll bet Gary Larson would have a unique take on this

[omega minimo]

26. Shoo!! Scat!!

[omega minimo]

20. Heartbreaking

:cry:

[Danger Mouse]

36. Just heard about this...in my area, too. Tragic.

:(

[omega minimo]

37. So sorry

:cry:

[FarCenter]

44. He killed about half the herd -- the ones that required frequent milking

Copake, NY -- Officials say a New York dairy farmer who methodically slaughtered 51 cows before taking his own life may have been trying to spare his family the burden of caring for the animals.

<SNIP>

Pierson left no explanation for what he’d done, just a note on the barn door warning whoever found it not to come in and to call the police.

But there appeared to be a method to his bloody work. He killed only the cows that required frequent milking.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/post_145.html