BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 5, 2021
Three weeks ago John Fortin was hauling away the carcasses of eight cows killed by a single lightning strike and wondering if his family’s beef farm could survive the loss. Today the farm’s future looks much brighter after more than $34,000 in donations poured in within days of the tragedy. The cows were killed when a large pine tree they had taken refuge under during a storm was struck by lightning. Those eight angus heifers represented 10 percent of the Fortin Farm’s herd and was a huge economic and emotional blow to the four-generation farm.