DlG—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 6,1980
Group of Amish families preserves farmland
BY DICK ANGLESTEIN
HONEY. BROOK - It
could be described as one of
the “most unique farmland
preservation efforts” ever
accomplished in
southeastern Pennsylvania.
Consider these facts.
-It covers a sizable chunk
of some 900 acres of far
mland
-A muiti-million-dollar
project, it is being ac
complished without one cent
of public tax monies
-It involves not only the
preservation of prime
productive ground, but the
reclamation of land allowed
to go fallow.
-In addition to crops,
brand new agricultural
facilities have sprouted forth
on the land
-And, the land will likely
remain in farming in
definitely.
But to the people im
mediately involved, it likely
more aptly represents an
effort to preserve a way of
life.
And, they are doing it their
way.
These are but a few of the
descriptive phrases that
could be applied to the
manner m which new Amish
dairy farms are be.ng
established along Rt. 322 just
east of Honey Brook in
Chester County.
Some 900 acres of land
were purchased this sum
mer by a group of Amish
families from the
Leßoutilher estate.
Purchase price alone for
the land was just shy of $2.25
million.
Since then, a new type of
subdivision has taken place -
- an agricultural subdivision
Instead of being parceled off
into residential plots, the
land is being subdivided into
dairy farms
Thus far, five large barns,
complete with silos and
other dairying facilities, and
two residences have been
constructed
Three more barn com
plexes and additional
residences are planned for
next year
Already, several of the
barns, designed to ac
comodate approximately 40
cows, are housing milking
herds
Involved in the project are
young Amish families just
beginning to farm on their
own They have come
together from diverse areas,
such as Churchtown, east of
Lancaster City and the LitiU
area.
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overgrown fence rows have been cleared to provide additional tillable ground
In addition to the con
struction of the brand new
farm structures, other
improvements are being
made on the land.
Fence rows and meadow
areas allowed to grow over
are being cleared. Low
swampy areas will be
drained and tiled to be
reclaimed for meadowland
The land clearing and
construction of new bams
and homes provides an at
mosphere almost akin to the
farm pioneering that took
place in the area centuries
ago
Even the timetable of
construction priorities
resembled that of early
agricultural settlers.
Initial emphasis was
placed on the construction of
bams to protect and store
harvested crops to permit
the establishment of the
milking herds
Some of the Amish are
living in temporary housing
until more construction
efforts can be transferred to
additional new residences
The land was owned for a
number of years by the
Leßoutilher family. At one
time, there had been an
effort to establish a self
sustaining baronial
agricultural operation on the
land.
Some of the land had been
rented to area farmers for
growing corn and soybeans,
but quite a bit had been
allowed to grow over
About six years ago, an
effort was made to convert
the tract into a residential
development, including
single-family homes, con
dominiums and high-rise
apartments.
The development plan was
turned down by the Honey
Brook Township Planning
Commission an” it then
appeared that the fate of the
prime farmland might be
decided in court.
But beginning about two
years ago, negotiations
began among planning of
ficials, a representative of
the owners and members of
the Amish community
These finally culminated m
the purchase of the entire
tract earlier this year by the
group of Amish families It is
the largest land tiansaction
in the history of Honey Brook
Township
Soob-ci-mol-doh
Doing it their own unique way:
Brand new
dairy farm
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This entirely new Amish dairy farm, constructed
east of Honey Brook since this summer, is already
Coincidentally, but en
tirely a separate effort, the
establishment of the new
dairy farms comes at a time
when farmland preservation
is a very active project in the
Upper Brandywine Region
of Chester County, which
covers five townships in
cluding Honey Brook Twp.
The Regional Plannmg
Commision of the Upper
Brandywine Watershed has
just received a com
prehensive, two-year
background study report on
farmland preservation.
■This is one of the most
thorough background
studies ever made con
cerning farmland preser
vations," explains William
Ford, Honey Brook Twp
representative on the
commission
"We wanted to know
exactly what we had before
we decide how to go about
saving it,” the retired dairy
farmer added
The 212-page study in
cludes far-reaching data
ranging from lainfall and
soil type statistics to the age
of farmers and the likelihood
of farming being continued
into the next generation
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and from development
pressures to attitudes of
various people toward
farming
Using the background
study as their source
material and guide, the
commission is investigating
a number of different
techniques concerning
preserving farmland
These include
-Purchase of development
rights
Sim
con
Another new dairy farm in the Honey Brook area of Chester County shows the
similarity of construction of both the residences and barn complexes.
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occupied by a family which formerly lived in the
Lititz area of Lancaster County.
-Transfer oi development
rights
-Deed restrictions
-Agricultural zoning
-Pennsylvania Act 442
-Community land trust
-And the recently ap
proved Agricultural
Development Council in
Chester County
The background study,
according to Ford, will
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pi ovule the data ami tacts
necessary to back any effort
at farmland preservation,
once the decision is made on
which technique to employ
While the development ot
the Amish dairy farms is
entirely separate from the
regional farmland preser
vation study, it does add a
very interesting and unique
postscript to the massive
report ‘