In May 2021, Lancaster Farmland Trust (LFT) and the Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board (APB) met at the Bard family home to preserve not one, but two farms owned by the family. The farms neighbor each other, sharing a boundary line. Now all 147 acres are preserved through a joint agreement with LFT and the APB.
On one farm, the Bard family raises beef cattle with support crops. The family manages chicken houses with fields dedicated to growing corn, with hay and rye on the other farm. The family employs several conservation practices on both farms, including but not limited to conservation crop rotation, cover cropping, contour farming, forage harvest management, grassed waterway, nutrient management, residue management no-till, and field terracing.
The Bard family first spoke with LFT and the APB about preserving their farms in October 2017. Before that time, the farms were on the waiting list at the APB. Staff from each organization met with the Bard family, who ultimately decided to preserve their farm jointly with LFT and the APB. By preserving their farm jointly, the family was sooner able to realize their dream of preservation.
The Bard farm is located in a rural area of Conestoga Township and is mainly surrounded by other farmland and woodlands. Less than a mile west of the farm is the Susquehanna River. The Bard farm is adjacent to or within a 2-mile radius of 933 acres of farmland under conservation easement.