On December 16, staff from Lancaster Farmland Trust (LFT) met at the Stoltzfus family farm to sign paperwork and add their two farms—59 acres and 11 acres—to the growing list of preserved farms in Lancaster County.
In quiet, picturesque southern Lancaster County, you’ll find these two farms along an unassuming country road. The larger farm is home to a small dairy herd, some chickens, and a couple of watchful farm dogs. Just to its south, the 11-acre farm is home to the eldest Stoltzfus son, where he grows produce for Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative. In addition to the cows and vegetables, the Stoltzfus family grows a mix of corn, alfalfa, and tobacco on their farm. They also employ conservation practices, such as conservation tillage or no-till, secure manure storage units, a grassed waterway, cover cropping, and contour farming.
The Stoltzfus farms are directly adjacent to another preserved farm, and within a two-mile radius of the Stoltzfus family farms, there are 27 other preserved farms totaling more than 2,590 acres of preserved land nearby. Adding these family farms creates a large, contiguous block of preserved land – helping protect the future of agriculture in Lancaster County.
The family looks forward to the security that farmland preservation will afford the future of their land.
