C.W Post Veterinary School and Commack's Marion Carll Farm

Commack NY

21 October, 2021

8:27 AM

Description

If you are driving on Commack rd you will pass the old Marion Carll Farm on the west side of the road as preparation work is finishing up. In 2020 LIU was provisionally approved to be the 4th veterinary college in the northeast . There are only 30 veterinary colleges in the United States. Since a school district owns the property the NY State education Dept. is involved in the transformation. The barn roof was leaking and so was repaired by LIU. They have also cleared much of the property's stanchion of tall trees. for the driveway and parking. The September 16th, 2019 meeting of the Commack Community Association was held at the Commack Public Library. Our guests were Carmen Fuentealba, Dean of the proposed C W Post Veterinary college and Dr. James from the Commack School District. At that meeting we were advised that Veterinary colleges are required to have a place for students to learn exams on chickens, cows, goats and horses. These animals are categorized as Food and Fiber animals. The college plans a small herd of 10 dry cows, 10 goats and some chickens for 10 students at a time, to practice medical exams on the animals. A dry cow does not produce milk and so daily milking is not required. . The livestock for the college must be purchased from USDA approved vendors. Of course, there will be livestock manure management. Manure would be sold to a processing plant and removed from the farm property. Sherman Carll, nephew to Marion Carll ,mentioned that there had been a full dairy operation on 90 acres of the farm when he was a boy. Marion Carll who was a school board member and helped run the farm willed it to the school district. It was home to the Wilson tech animal husbandry program in the 1990s. Wilson Tech carpentry students built a modern one room school house on the property. Western Boces obtained half a million dollars in NY Environmental grants to rebuild the horse barn. Jarro Constuction did a historical renovation of the barn. As the years passed all buildings suffered from neglect because the changing school district board members and the superintendent deemed it burdensome . Photos of the historic farm before current renovations took place are viewable on the website of the Commack Community Association, which, in 2010, was actively involved in preventing the Commack school district from selling it for $750,000 to Holiday Corp for 38 condos.