Fire destroys Stowe dairy barns and herd

Feb. 4, 2022  |  By Lisa Scagliotti 

In a matter of hours overnight Wednesday into early Thursday morning, the Percy Farm in Stowe was destroyed by fire. 

Crews from eight departments around the region from Bolton to Johnson including Waterbury assisted the Stowe Fire Department after the first call came in around 11:30 p.m. Family on site were able to save a small group of calves but the herd of more than 100 dairy cows perished. 

Located at the intersection of Weeks Hill and Percy Hill roads, the farm is familiar to users of the Stowe Recreation Path which runs along farm land. The farm’s corn maze is a popular attraction for visitors and locals in late summer and fall.  

In operation since 1930, the farm belongs to the Agrimark/Cabot Cooperative with milk it produces used in making products such as cheese, yogurt, sour cream and cottage cheese at the Cabot plant in Cabot, Vermont.   

Fire investigators are now looking into what caused the devastation. 

Farm owner Paul Percy was out of town at the time. He told WCAX Channel 3 News on Thursday, “It was gone before the fire department got here.”  

The dairy farm business has a second location where it can continue operating with the hope of rebuilding on the Weeks Hill site. 

A GoFundMe campaign to help the family has been created by Stowe veterinarian Gregg Goodson and his wife LeeLee. “I knew those barns well,” Goodson said.