Recently the Benner’s farm employees revealed at a child’s birthday party that their cow, Minnie, would soon be slaughtered due to her age. In response to this, many community members have come together to try to save the beloved community cow. Minnie is a part of the Three Village community and one of the most popular attractions at the family farm: she is kept in the stable visible from the road passing and often brought out during events.

Soon after hearing about the news, Kimberly Sherriton started a Facebook page called “Save Minnie from Slaughter.” She received much support from the community and her group now has 747 members. Additionally, advocates for Minnie have raised $3,000 to buy Minnie and have organized for the Skylands Sanctuary and Animal Rescue to take her in with free transport and placement. However, the owners of the farm refuse to comply and are upholding their right to do as they see fit with Minnie. Today, Saturday, April 9^th, about a dozen people stood outside Benner’s Farm to protest this decision.

One protester, Julianna Cinone, commented “Minnie is a thinking, feeling animal like cats and dogs and is beloved by everyone- but not like the Benner’s owners as there is no humane way to kill an animal.” Furthermore, dog and cat rescuer Ginger Livingston stated that although they are not optimistic about Minnie’s prospects, the public should be aware and stand up to a tradition that isn’t right. She also commented that she understands a farmer’s rights and freelance, but she doesn’t think it is appropriate to raise an animal for two years as a community pet only to slaughter it later.

Sherriton commented that they are not trying to hurt the Benner’s business, but only trying to stand up to something she feels is clearly wrong and makes no sense. She also pointed out that Benner’s posted a picture last week in celebration of Minnie’s second birthday, which she felt was extremely hypocritical.

Furthermore, Minnie is a freemartin cow, meaning she has both male and female characteristics; it is one of the most severe forms of sexual abnormality among cattle. Community members question if the actions on part of the farm was a form of discrimination. However, utilizing their cows for meat has been a tradition at Benner’s Farm prior to Minnie.

Protesters are not sure of Minnie’s current whereabouts, whether the farm is keeping her in the back or expedited the slaughter date. Despite their efforts, the response to Minnie’s protesters has not been overwhelmingly positive. People calling out “We love Benner’s” and “I hope you are all vegans” outnumbered the people honking in support. There was also backlash on social media towards the activists. The protesters remained steadfast in their goals: changing a mindset and bringing animal cruelty awareness to the community mentioning the seven-month-old dog, Roxy, who was hung in Bellport a month ago.

Tomorrow, Sunday April 10^th, there will be another protest at 10:30 am outside of Benner’s Farm to help raise awareness for animal rights and organize the community to help find a different fate for aging farms at Benner’s Farm.