Valley News coverage by Whitney Jackson was thorough but not accurate: the farm is 1,200 acres, not 12,000.  Ms. Jackson taped Eugene Benway as he admitted his sworn courtroom testimony was not accurate.  She departed the newspaper soon thereafter. In this account, Ronald E. Jackson lies.  As Danny Sweatt knows, these two were banned. We banned both through Sweatt and never saw Jackson again. Mr. Jackson refers to flooding.  Fact: the Town of Essex has poured tons of additional fill in the south side ditch of Cross Road recently, which the farm has photographed, before and after in dated pictures.  Perhaps Mr. Jackson would like to see the road flood.  With enough fill in that ditch, perhaps the Town snow plow will manage to strike the farm rock road - and bring danger to the driver and wing man from the NYSEG power that runs through that rock.  The road was designed by Michael L. Blanchard, field planner, NYSEG Engineering (518-570-7745, cell phone).  The Farm will continue to photograph developments and all options will be considered.  The drainage rock from which the road is built is the best, but even the best will eventually clog with the tailings piled against it.  This is what Mr. Jackson wishes.  Small town mentality rules on this one: Mr. Jackson gets banned from his family’s sugarbush, gets Mr. Morgan to fill the ditch in an effort to destroy the farm rock road. Of course, this is illegal, on the face of it and may be prosecuted. In court testimony sworn, Benway and others admit that they do not service that ditch or the culvert they complain about. Our farm rock is the best drainage rock. With road fines piled against it act as a dam.

We thank Valley News for its coverage, Whitney Jackson for her thoroughness, Michael E. Pratt and Fred Watrous, among others, for their support and affidavits in court.  We are sorry that Eugene Benway was unable to tell the truth in court, we lament the fact that Mr. Jackson sat through Mr. Benway’s dishonest testimony and drove him to and from Schenectady.  We believe Mr. Benway would have preferred to tell the truth when sworn.  His plow never touched the farm rock road, a fact he acknowledges as Whitney Jackson sat silently next to Mr. Lewis - taping without Mr. Lewis’ knowledge.  The State Police have that tape.  The DA’s of Schenectady and Essex counties have that tape. Dated photos to be posted.