Help the Stahler Family Farm Recover from Devastating Fire

Photo credit: unknown

Last night, tragedy struck our family farm. The main barn, where my father stored all of his trucks, tractors, combines, planters, implements, and other tools and equipment, burned to the ground.

Photo credit: Dan McKinney

An early rough estimate of the contents of that barn could be in the millions of dollars lost. This does not take into consideration the loss of income he is going to experience from the loss of his harvesting and hauling equipment. Thankfully, he was able to pull a tractor with a planter out before the barn was completely engulfed, so he should be able to finish planting for the season, provided there are no mechanical issues (all his tools and parts went up in smoke as well, as this barn also housed his maintenance shop).

Photo credit: Richard Jones

Photo credit: Sandy Harmony

Yes, he has insurance, but unfortunately, we have no idea at this point what it will cover. Additionally, farming and hauling are his lifeblood, and how he earns his living. Without trucks and equipment, he can no longer do this.

WFMZ article from June 2

My name is Tracy (Stahler) Beers. My sisters, Tricia (Stahler) Kehs, and Angie Stahler and I are starting this campaign to try to help in the only way we can - by raising money. We are the daughters of Lee Stahler, Jr, and part of a multigenerational farming family in Upper Saucon Township, Center Valley, PA. Our family has been farming in the Lehigh Valley for well over 100 years. The original farm that we grew up on and where our grandfather spent his entire life farming, and our father spent his younger years farming was on East Saucon Valley Road, where the Corporate Park/Promenade Shops stand today. In our youth, our father farmed 2500 acres of corn, wheat, and soybeans in and around Center Valley, Lanark, Limeport, and Coopersburg. In the late 80’s/early 1990’s when NJ Zinc sold all of the land around us to developers, our farm was relocated “around the corner” to 4556 East Valley Road, where it sits today. In the years since, the availability of land to farm in the area has decreased significantly every year. In order to make a living, our father currently still farms about 1000-1500 acres, but needs to travel as far as Kempton and Palmerton to be able to farm that. Those of you reading this who live in Southern Lehigh School District and have seen a farmer in a field or driving down the road in a tractor in your community in the last 60 years, it was likely our dad (on the left in the photo below with fellow farmer from Limeport, Denny Trexler, Jr.).

Photo credit: Tricia (Stahler) Kehs

We don’t have any animals, and our dad was sound asleep when the fire broke out at approximately 10:30 - 11 pm Saturday, June 1, so thankfully, no one was hurt in the incident. The cause of the two-alarm blaze is still unknown.

Our dad and stepmother, Sandy Harmony, are still trying to process what has happened. Tricia is still local and will be spending time at the farm helping list with anything else Daddy and Sandy need. Angie and I both live in Vermont and cannot be as hands-on, but we plan to help from afar with things like this. We’ll likely have more details in the coming days. For now, we are looking to raise enough money to keep the farm afloat and make all the payments that need to be made until we learn more about the cause of the fire, insurance coverage, and the future of the farm. Farmers don’t own the land they farm. They lease it. Unfortunately, whether the land gets planted and harvested or not, their payments are still due to the landowners. Additionally, the loans on the trucks and equipment will still need to be paid.

Please help us reach our ambitious goal and hopefully keep one of the last few farms in Upper Saucon Township from disappearing.

Cover video credit: NVP Media Services