A farm worker at Connecticut’s largest dairy in the state is nursing a broken jaw after a freak accident Thursday morning. According to the WFSB, the 23-year-old was working in the maternity pen at Oakridge Dairy near Ellington when he was headbutted by a cow.
The owner told the Journal Inquirer they are unsure at this time what caused the incident. The employee is an Ellington resident and has been working at the farm for the past five years.
The fifth generation dairy is home to 2,700 cows that produce milk for Guida’s Dairy, based in New Britain. Oakridge has a dedicated team that cares for the youngstock on site. Calves are raised to six months then moved to pasture to finish growing. The heifers come back to Oakridge within eight weeks of having their first calf, which is born onsite.
Oakridge grows all of it’s own hay and corn to feed the cattle on farm owned land and on surrounding leased acreage. The family farm also has a dedicated dairy facilities team that maintains farm buildings and fences and oversees the development of new construction projects.
Oakridge continues to grow, adding parcels of local land as they become available. The farm employees about 40 people and many of the family’s original descendants continue to work on the farm.