UPDATE FROM MISTY MEADOW FARM:
Bill Simmerman, who owns the farm, said this has been devastating and he is not happy with the way the county has handled the matter. He said in heartfelt Facebook videos recorded on the farm that he has put $2 million into the business, but felt like giving it all up when the County Health Department named the farm in a news release as the source of the parasite.
“We’re going to be closing the farm to all farm visitors,” Simmerman said from a barn on the farm with the animals behind him, his voice emotional. “I don’t know how I can fix this problem. It brings me great sadness. I spent the last five years building this business to try to put the animals in the touches of kids.”
Simmerman said he never wants to see anybody get sick, but downplayed the seriousness of the parasite.
“This parasite is most commonly found in swimming pools and daycares. It is everywhere. It is the leading cause of stomach viruses in the U.S.,” he said.
Simmerman said the farm would be issuing refunds for all cancelled activities. He reminded the public however that the farm is still selling its products, which are safe, and will rely on that revenue to weather this storm. He blamed the County Department of Health for blasting the farm publicly without consulting him.
“We had two cases of this crypto here at the farm, according to the health department. There has never been any testing of our animals here at the farm to prove these cases,” Simmerman said in the video. “We were cooperative with the Cape May County Health Department. We gave them everything and did everything they’ve asked us to do….They sent this letter out without notifying us or even giving us the consideration of a copy of the letter.”
Simmerman’s Facebook video was met with overwhelming support for the farm, with many commenters objecting to what they said was the health department’s over-dramatization of the situation.
“In this [press release], the last statement says, if you visited Misty Meadow Sheep Dairy and had any symptoms, which include runny nose nausea, anything that would incorporate a common cold or anything else, you’re to report to your doctor. This was devastating to us. We had tremendous cancellations during the weekend, and again, we feel that we can’t go farther with this, because now anybody who has a cold is going to blame it on Misty Meadow Sheep Dairy,” Simmerman said, calling for a “communication bridge between the health department, or the bureaucracy, and the farmers, so that we can go farther into the future to help young farmers in this country.”
Simmerman said they take health on the farm seriously and that makes this especially devastating.
“Me and my wife just don’t want anybody to associate us with sickness. We do everything possible here at Misty Meadow to keep our farm clean and our animals healthy. These lambs are great,” he said.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly named Misty Meadow farm owner Bill Simmerman as Bill Simmens. We regret the error.
