03/27/2026
Anyone who thinks his actions were excusable- remove yourself from my page immediately.
He had options.
He chose to take her to a vet AFTER the fact.
So he was perfectly aware of a
Goat vet.
If his goal was tik tok views- he stull couldve chosen to end her suffering first then quickly remove the kid.
I sincerely hope
He is prosecuted to the fullest
Extent of the law and doesnt walk away with just a Slap on the wrist.
By now you’ve likely seen the articles circulating about a PA “farmer” who’s facing animal abuse charges for performing an at home C-Section on one of his pregnant does. While I’m usually not one to agree with government involvement in homestead affairs, I do believe all individuals, farmers or not, should be held to certain ethical standards in regards to animal stewardship and you won’t convince me that what Justin Steinmetz did is anything less than abuse.
To date, we’ve birthed a fair amount of kids on our farm. I’ve been there for hard births and the moments you have to think fast under intense pressure. So no, this isn’t coming from someone with rose colored glasses. This is coming from someone who’s lived it.
I understand panic. I understand how it feels to be faced with a no-win situation. Being from a rural area, I am all too familiar with how difficult it can be to find a reputable vet to service your herd, especially in an emergency situation.
But there is still a line. And in my opinion that line was crossed.
I’ve been present for emergency C-Sections on my own does. I’ve seen the stress and pain it can cause even when following proper veterinary procedure, WHICH DOES include using local anesthesia and sometimes sedation. So, when I think about that poor doe being cut into with dull scissors and a pocket knife, and the immense pain she must have been in, it truly makes me sick. I cannot fathom any situation where putting an animal of any species through that type of pain would ever cross my mind as a viable option. Let alone an animal that you claim to have loved and cared for so much. It’s even more horrifying to think that this was all live-streamed to a private group of subscribers as “educational content”.
On our farm, if we’re faced with difficult kidding outcomes or decisions our goal is always to protect the doe at all costs. If that means we lose the kid(s) in the process, so be it. That might sound harsh, but as a breeder I am 100% responsible for the situation that doe is in and it’s my duty to see her through to the end of it. A kid may be worth $200, that doe to me is worth everything. I have poured my life, time, money, energy, heart and soul into these animals. And while others may run their operations differently and that’s okay- I’d hope we can all agree that in dire situations comfort and a humane ending are always the goal. And that’s far from what this was.
If a vet was available to sew her up afterward, that means a vet was available before the choice to cut her open was ever made. Goat kids can be pretty resilient as long as the umbilical cord stays intact. Had he taken her to the vet instead of taking matters into his own hands, there was still a chance both lives could have been saved.
Taking this a step further, even if his only goal became to get the kid out, Terminal C-Sections exist for a reason. If there were enough hands on board to hold her down while he was cutting, then those same hands could have helped humanely euthanize her and simultaneously remove the baby. Yes, there is still a chance of losing the kid, but this option offers minimal suffering for the doe.
Instead, this poor doe was held down, cut open with dull “instruments” without any type of anesthetic or pain management, had her colostrum milked out, and then laid on the barn floor for nearly another 20 minutes bleeding out before finally being loaded into a vehicle, and driven an hour to the vet with her intestines and internal organs outside of her body where she ultimately succumbed to her injuries on the exam table. In what world should this NOT be considered cruelty and abuse?
So no, I do not accept the excuse that he had no other choice. I accept the fact that Justin’s ego was bigger than his commitment to animal welfare and that poor goat paid the ultimate price for his greed.
Even worse is the thousands of people who follow their page and somehow think this is excusable. You should be ashamed of yourselves if you're defending what he did! He should be held accountable to the full extent of the law. And I truly hope this is an eye opening experience and not a “mistake” that gets made again.
As animal stewards we have a responsibility to do right by our animals every day, but especially in times like these when it matters most.
(To clear up any confusion, the photo below is of MY goat who received an emergency c-section last year, performed under proper veterinary care and with proper aftercare management.)
