Help Meg and Kevin recover from machine shed fire

Our friend and colleague Meg Moynihan Stuedemann and her husband Kevin operate Derrydale Farm near Belle Plaine, Minnesota. On December 18, 2022, they experienced an on-farm fire that destroyed their machine shed including five tractors, two skid steers, countless tools and pieces of equipment, and personal effects.

Thankfully no people or animals were harmed in the fire, but the impact on their operation is gut-wrenching. Insurance will help, but won't come close to replacing everything. Please consider donating to Meg and Kevin to support them while they pick up the pieces and rebuild the farm.

Kevin was born and raised in Saint Paul and spent every holiday and vacation at Uncle Ed and Aunt Mary’s little farm near the south central Minnesota town of Le Sueur. He was always determined to become a farmer. In fact, when he was only 13, he raised 1 acre of pickles under contract for the Gedney pickle company. Kevin bought our farm (not Uncle Ed and Aunt Mary’s, though) in 1988 and started milking cows here in 1994.

Meg was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI and Nashville, TN and went to college in Rhode Island at Brown University. She was captivated by agriculture while serving with the Peace Corps in Thailand. After returning to the U.S., she earned a Master’s degree in Agronomy. She worked for a sustainable agriculture nonprofit and a hospital in Michigan and has supported farmers throughout her career in public service in Minnesota. She’s now a dab hand at milking cows, driving tractors, fixing fence, and repairing water lines.