Viral Farmer from Schoharie County Lost 34 Goats in Tragic Fire

The Dancing Farmer

Back in 2016, Jay Lavery, a happy-go-lucky, fun-loving farmer from Schoharie County, became a viral sensation thanks to videos featuring his wholesome dance moves, cute farm animals, and a little help from Ellen Degenrous and the Today Show.

Lavery, known as The Dancing Farmer, is the owner of The Dancing Farm in Sharon Springs, New York and while tending to his joyful farm in Upstate NY, he dances, raises, and cares for turkeys, chickens, ducks, Guineas Pigs, and of course, the viral goats.

Devasting Fire

Over the weekend, Lavery's farm suffered a barn fire, tragically killing all 34 of his goats, and while Lavery considers himself thankful to be alive -as well as incredibly appreciative of the volunteer fire department who came to his rescue - he's beyond devastated, posting this to Facebook on Monday.

It is with tremendous pain that I must share the tragic news that our Goat Barn was destroyed in a fire on Friday evening killing all 34 of our beloved Goats. I’m devastated beyond words and don’t know how I am going to make it through this but I am grateful that all four of my dogs survived as well as most of our turkeys, chickens, ducks, and Guineas. I am also extremely grateful for the Sharon Springs Volunteer Firefighters who worked tirelessly to contain the fire, preventing it to spread to our farmhouse and spent their entire Easter Weekend working to keep the remains of the barn from reigniting and to restore power to the farm.

Remember The Dancing Farmer?  Here's the viral video that ended up featured on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

*TRIGGER WARNING: The following video contains subject matter, images, and sounds from the fire that may cause a negative emotional reaction and/or may be disturbing for some viewers.  Please use discretion before viewing.

According to the Times Union, the cause of the fire is unknown, but Lavery said it could have been sparked by something as simple as a mouse chewing on a wire.

GoFundMe is Set Up

A friend of the family set up a Go Fund Me hoping to raise $50,000 for Lavery.  As of this morning, it had raised nearly $5,000.