The annual pear harvest at the Greene and Hemly family orchard began on Monday, just one day after 47-year-old Matt Hemly was killed in a bizarre accident on the farm that his family has owned since the gold rush days.She said her husband and his sister Virginia are the sixth generation of family members to work these fields, and Matt was dedicated to carrying on their farming legacy.
"We're trying to figure out what happened, but he was doing what he does and making sure that harvest could go on the next day," Sarah said. It's a big loss for the small town of Courtland, which is holding its annual Pear Fair this coming Sunday. Community members have been offering nonstop support to the family.The produce grown on this delta farm has fed generations of people across the country.
"They've fed your parents, your grandparents, your great-grandparents, and they're continuing on in that way," Sarah said."Every single one of us is going to do what it takes to keep this going, especially for him," Sarah said. "There's no stopping us." This isn't the only loss this year for the family. Matt and Virginia's mother, Cathy Hemly, died in April. Their father, Doug, is mostly retired and still lives on the farm.