Main Street News
Ongoing fundraiser to support the Kemmerer Farm after devastating fire
On Thursday, July 18, Kemmerer Farm suffered a massive fire that devastated their farm. The fire took out two barns, all of their trucks and tractors, other equipment, and their office.
Kemmerer Farm is a 100-acre hay farm located in Stanfordville, NY. The farm is a family affair; John Kemmerer Sr. and Clara are at the head of the family and all of their children were raised on and continue to work on the farm.
John Kemmerer and his family have been involved in the community for decades. Kemmerer Farm has been in existence for over 100 years, and generations of Kemmerer’s have dedicated their lives to working the land and encouraging the agricultural heritage in Stanfordville and the surrounding communities.
Emily, John and Clara’s oldest, also founded the Centennial Farms Foundation, a charitable organization for century farmers facing hardship, in 2021. The Centennial Farms Foundation’s motto is “reaping and sowing for good,” and its mission is “to support century farm owners facing hardship by providing debt-fulfillment grants, personal and business support services, and property tax aid.”
“Farmers make the world go around,” Emily said in a 2021 article with Main Street Magazine. “This is a life project for me. There are at least 30 century farms in Dutchess County alone, and from there I hope to make a difference with this foundation across the country. By 2031, I hope to have raised and allocated millions of dollars for century farm owners, helping to establish economic sustainability for today’s farmers and those of the future.”
Fundraising efforts
There are two GoFundMe fundraisers currently running for the Kemmerer family. Per the “Help Kemmerer Farm After the Devastating Fire,” fundraiser, “all of the proceeds are being deposited directly into the Kemmerer’s bank.” This fundraiser is aiming to raise $100,000 to provide financial support for the family as they sort through all of the losses that the farm has incurred. So far, they have raised more than $17,000.
In a recent Facebook post, Emily wrote, “It is a week later and the remnants are still burning. Until cleanup can begin, we are trying to process our thoughts and figure out how to function without all that we’ve known our entire lives. If people are questioning why there are two GoFundMe links out there, it is because there are three incredibly caring individuals, Courtney Haire, Wendy Burton, and Julia Descoteaux, who are all working together to double the awareness and outreach for help. Any and all donations made to either link are directly put toward Kemmerer Farm’s cleanup and rebuild.”
She continued, “To all of those who have reached out with kind words, a meal, a call, a donation, a material need, or just a check-in, you are the pillars and symbol of community. There are far too many of you to mention individually, but each of you is just as important in our hearts as the other, and although we are still mostly silent with shock, we could not be screaming a bigger thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
To donate to the fundraiser, visit this link. To read more about the Kemmerer family farm, read Main Street’s feature from 2021 here.
