The end of 2017 was busy for the Land Conservancy of Adams County–the organization preserved over 500 acres in the month of December, bringing its yearly total to 744 acres. The first December easement was on the Strayer and Nikki Yake farm in Hamilton Township near New Oxford, a 28-acre property with a charming farmstead tucked away from the road. The farm has a 19th-century brick home and a bright red ground barn that has been on Historic Gettysburg Adams County’s registry of historic barns.
At the very end of December, Sheppard Farms donated an easement on 154 acres in Conewago Township, and a second on 317 acres in Union Township. Both of these properties fall within one of the Conservancy’s priority areas for protection: the Standardbred Horse Farm region. But it’s not horses you’ll see there. The animals roaming the rolling pastures of the Sheppard property are much bigger and fluffier: Scottish Highland cattle. If you haven’t seen these impressive creatures with their long hair and imposing horns, take a drive to southeast Adams County and have a look!
The Conservancy is grateful to the forward-thinking landowners for making the commitment to preserve their farmland forever.
