At a recent share pickup at Sisters Hill Farm, members approached farmer David Hambleton and other longtime farm workers, anxious to know what the property’s sale could mean for the farm.
Julia Descoteaux, the Stanford town supervisor and a member of the farm’s community-supported agriculture program, said she heard several people express hope that whoever buys the land will preserve the operation Hambleton, known throughout the community as Farmer Dave, has built there.
“I think the farm is more than a farm,” Descoteaux said. “It’s really been part of the fabric of Stanford.”
The Sisters of Charity of New York have decided to sell their entire Stanfordville property, including Sisters Hill Farm and a 10-bedroom house once used as a summer retreat. The congregation expects to seek about $2.5 million for the nearly 70-acre property, according to James Rowe, its director of communications. Rowe said the property is expected to be listed this week.
The farm will operate through the current growing season. The sale, however, includes no guarantee that the land will remain a working farm.
“As the Sisters of Charity of New York continue the process of bringing the congregation to completion, we have made the difficult decision to offer our entire property, including Sisters Hill Farm in Stanfordville, for sale,” the organization said in a statement to farm members.
As the congregation’s membership ages and declines, its “completion” process is determining the future of its properties and seven ministries, Rowe explained.
Rowe said the Sisters of Charity now have about 122 members, down from approximately 1,400 in the late 1960s. The last woman to enter the congregation in New York did so in 1983, he said.
The Sisters of Charity have owned the Stanfordville property since 1917. They hired Hambleton in 1999 to establish Sisters Hill, the first community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm in Dutchess County. Under the CSA model, members pay in advance for shares of the harvest and collect vegetables throughout the growing season.
The congregation initially pursued a plan to sell only the main house and several surrounding acres. The Stanford Planning Board conditionally approved a subdivision pending Board of Health approval.
Dividing the property would have required additional work, including the construction of a separate driveway, Rowe said. The Sisters of Charity ultimately determined that it made more financial sense to sell the property as one parcel.
Sisters Hill has become known not only for the vegetables it supplies to local families but also for the volunteers it attracts and the aspiring farmers it trains. Apprentices have traveled from across the country to learn regenerative agriculture and the workings of an established CSA under Hambleton.
Rowe said Hambleton typically works with about four apprentices each year and is admired for his ability to teach, connect with people, and keep farm machinery from the 1940s and 1950s running.
In announcing the sale, the congregation credited Hambleton’s leadership with making Sisters Hill “not only a successful farm but also a place of learning, hospitality, and connection.”
In an email, Hambleton told CSA members that he was still trying to understand what the decision would mean.
“I’m sure you have many questions and I do as well,” he wrote. “I’m still processing this and will update you as soon as I know more.”
The Sisters of Charity said they hope to find a buyer with “a passion for farming and a commitment to preserving the Farm’s legacy of service.”
Rowe said no one in the congregation had given up hope that Sisters Hill could survive the sale. For residents worried about losing it, he offered a final appeal.
“Keep doing what we’re doing and pray that a new farmer decides to purchase the land and continues the work,” Rowe said. “Just pray and hopefully it will have a happy ending.”