‘Farmer’ Preservation Is Answer To Save Farmland
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
Thursday night at the Farm and
Home Center was slated as a time
to learn and share droughts and
ideas about guarding prime
farmland.
After the three-hour meeting,
Jim Shirk, agriculture services
manager for the Lancaster Cham
ber of Commerce and Industry,
said. “This meeting was not about
farmland preservation but about
farmer preservation.”
His comment echoed the far-
This meeting was
not about farmland
preservation but
about farmer
preservation,*
mers’ attitude that farmland is pro
tected as long as farmers can profi
tably make a living on the land.
Presentations by representatives
from business and fanning com
munities, the planning commis
sion, the tourist industry, and a
panel of elected officials fielding
questions from the audience cen
tered on working together to keep
the county as a leading national
agricultural center and not to fol
low the demise of Los Angeles,
which was at one time the leading
ag producing country in the nation
and has now fallen to 92nd place.
During the same ' ' of time,
Panel participant* include from left. Sen. Noah Wenger, 36th legislative district;
Rep. John Barley, 100th legislative district; Terry Kauffman, county commissioner;
and Nelson Rohrer, Manheim Township board of supervisors.
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from 1944 until the present, Lan
caster County has managed to
maintain its standing of being the
ISth to 13th ag producing county,
but leaders warned that the agricul
tural area is in grave danger of fol
lowing Los Angeles unless steps
are taken now.
Ron Bailey of the Lancaster
County Planning Commission said
that while many defy change they
should realize that the county is the
result of change. Although the area
is considered one of the prime'
farmland spots, it was at one time
forest
“Change isn’t the problem, it’s
how we are changing,” Bailey
said. “We are covcrting the most
productive land in the world into
lawn.”
With aerial photographs of the
area, Bailey illustrated how the
county has sprawled over a 60 to
70 square mile area to hold about
the same amount of people that
IVi -miles of die city holds. Bailey
said the problem is that most
homes are built on large lots.
In addition, there is the problem
with automobiles. He said that
eight vacant parking spaces for
every car in the county are needed
at all times or it is perceived that
there is not enough parking-.
Harry Flick of the Pennsylvania
Dutch Convention and Visitors
Bureau reported that tourists come
to the area primarily to see the rural
✓
Farmer Mike Brubaker addresses concerns from his per*
j spective while Ron Bailey, center, of the Lancaster County
Planning Commission, and Harry Flick, of the Pennsylvania
Dutch Convention and Visitors Bureau, listen.
farmland. If it is swallowed up in
development, the county will lose
the $349 million and the many jobs
the tourist industry creates
In a fiery speech, Darvin Boyd
of Coiestates Bank supported the
need to preserve farmland for its
social, economical, and culture
importance.
‘The problem is not growth, but
/
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Decamber 9, 1995-Al9
how it is accomplished. The real
land grabber is one house on
V/i -acres of land,” Boyd said.
He spoke of the need for farmers
to have the freedom to expand cot
tage industries, livestock opera
tions, and whatever needs to be
done to keep the farm viable.
“Some ordinances arc too restric
tive.” he said.
Boyd sees manufacturing, ag
industry, and marketing as impact
ing each other favorably and
necessary.
“Business growth is necessary
and need not be construed as the
enemy,” he said.
Mike Brubaker, a farmer from
East Donegal Township, told how
the margin for profitability is much
tighter for farmers than before. He
encouraged farmers to develop
positive relationships with neigh
bors in order to educate them and'
keep a farmer-friendly
environment
During the latter part of the
meeting, questions from an audi
ence of ISO were answered bv a
panel made up of Sen. Noah Wen
ger, 36th Legislative district; Rep.
John Barley. 100th legislative dis
trict; Terry Kauffman, county
commissioner, and Nelson Rohrer,
... the problem
is that most homes
are built on large
lots.
Manheim Township board of
supervisors.
Harold Musser, a Mount Joy
farmer, voiced his frustration with
zoning regulations in having to
compile a stormwater runoff plan,
land development plan, earth dis
turbance plan, manure managment
plan, and attaining county approv
al for any possible ventures in
expanding the family farm.
Musser sees the fanner as hav
ing no voting power when com
pared to the majority of the com
munity. He believes his tax dollars
go to bring more tourists to the area
who like it so much they decide to
move to the county, thereby
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