East Marion farmer Peter Sepenoski received a visit from Sen. Ken LaValle on Monday to commemorate the receipt of $14,642 from Suffolk County to help fund deer fence around his farm fields.
Sep’s Farm is one of 69 farms that received funding from a procurement that was earmarked for farmers in Suffolk County by LaValle for the installation of the deer fencing.
“The increasing deer pressure on my crops was so bad that I was ready to
give up farming,” Sepenoski said. “Now, I not only save money on seed and fuel but I also use less fertilizer and pesticides as a result.”
With the assistance of Joe Gergela, executive director of the Long Island Farm Bureau, Sen. LaValle secured $937,681.25 for Suffolk County farmers to install a total of 178,746 of fencing to protect crops from deer — that’s slightly more than 50 miles of deer fencing.
“By procuring these funds 69 farmers are able to continuing producing crops that would have otherwise been ravaged by the deer,” Gergela said.
