North Fork Farmer Dies In Tragic Equipment Accident: Police

JAMESPORT, NY — A beloved local North Fork farmer — a man whose roots ran deep in the local agricultural community — died in a tragic accident Thursday, police said.

According to Riverhead Town Police, a 911 call came in that Lyle C. Wells, 62, was found trapped in a piece of farm equipment at his farm, the Wells Homestead Acres Farm on Sound Avenue in Jamesport.

When officers arrived, Wells was found deceased, police said.

He apparently became trapped in a spreader while working on the farm, police said.

After the news spread of Wells' death Friday, friends and fellow farmers mourned a man who left a forever mark on the North Fork landscape.

"It's tragic, what happened," said Rob Carpenter, administrative director of the Long Island Farm Bureau.

"Lyle was such a force in agriculture — as a community leader within the agricultural community as well as within the Town of Riverhead," Carpenter said. "Lyle was so respected and so revered for his leadership and knowledge. It’s a huge loss for the town and for the agricultural industry, in addition to him being friend to so many people."

Wells, Carpenter said, will always be remembered for his generosity with his time, and through his volunteerism within the community. "It's something that is irreplaceable in our eyes," Wells said. "We're really going to miss him."

Tom Wickham of Wickham's Fruit Farm — and also a former Southold town supervisor — reflected on the accident Friday.

"Farming is a very dangerous occupation. There are a lot more accidents than you might expect," he said, adding that often, farmers are handling very heavy equipment, all alone.

Wells, he said, was a "prominent farmer", with asparagus a signature crop, who leaves a legacy. "He and I and a few other growers out here have begun selling our crop to FreshDirect," Wickham said. "Both he and I have been trying to promote that. He's one of the growers out here who has not been afraid to try new ventures."

Wells, Wickham said, was also a former president of the Long Island Farm Bureau and was involved with Farm Credit East, helping farmers with the financial aspect of the industry.

From the time he first planted asparagus, to a forward thinking approach when it came to applying fertilizer to his fields, Wells was a trailblazer, Wickham said. "He's tried a lot of new things," Wickham said. "He's been a real leader in the agricultural industry, and we will miss him."

Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski, whose own family has deep roots in the North Fork agricultural landscape, reacted in the same way as many others on Friday about the loss of a colleague and friend: "We're in shock," Krupski said. "He was a great member, not just of the farming community, but the community at large. He will be missed."

Krupski added that the Wells family "goes way back" in the history of North Fork farming. "For him to keep that tradition alive was a wonderful thing. He was a great advocate of farming. He believed in it — and he was a great ambassador for agriculture."

The Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office will conduct further investigation; OSHA was also notified, police said.

The spreader and the tractor that was towing it were impounded for further investigation, police said.

Patch file photo courtesy Long Island Farm Bureau, from its archives.