By Clinton Martin
Lancaster Farmland Trust is a most compelling organization. Their slogan “Save the Lancaster You Love” sums up well what they do. A private, non-profit dedicated to vigorously accelerating the permanent protection and stewardship of farmland, Lancaster Farmland Trust helps farmers ensure that their farmland remains farmland forever.
This is done through a conservation easement. This is a legally binding contract that permanently keeps the protected land available for agricultural use. The landowner still owns the farm, and they can still choose to sell it or transfer ownership to their children. But when they do, the conservation easement remains in effect. Once an easement is signed, Lancaster Farmland Trust “stewards” it forever. They monitor all their preserved farms annually to check in with the farmer, help implement conservation practices and ensure that farmland stays farmland. If the land changes hands, they continue working with the new landowner.
From the very beginning, the fact that Lancaster Farmland Trust was not government-run was critical. Founder Amos Funk, who recognized a need to help farmers preserve, conserve, and steward their land, sought to create a private, independent, not-for-profit group that would appeal to the Plain Sect farmers of Lancaster County.
Knowing that suits and ties, with government badges, are often viewed with great skepticism by Amish and Mennonite farmers, Funk avoided all that with his small nonprofit land trust, chartering it in 1988 along with local businesswoman, philanthropist, and conservation enthusiast Marilyn Ware. Lancaster Farmland Trust was able to preserve its first Old Order Amish farm in 1991. Of course, Lancaster Farmland Trust is now not so small, with 594 farms preserved, totaling 36,947 acres of farmland.
Ware was known for many positive things in Lancaster County, but being an expert fundraiser was one of her most successful monikers. While never expressly stated, I am convinced that the movie WITNESS was instrumental in sparking the desire of Funk and Ware for Lancaster Farmland Trust. WITNESS came out in 1985, was a huge box office hit, and reintroduced the Amish culture and religion to not only the United States but the world as well. Almost immediately, tourism in Lancaster County rebounded from a malaise that had defined the 1970’s, capped by Three Mile Island’s partial meltdown in 1979.
All of a sudden, it seemed, the whole world was keen on Amish farmland, and somehow the attention on the land, and the tourism boom, seemed to indicate that the land was under threat of being paved over. The need to preserve the local farmland was “ripe for the picking” if you’ll excuse a bad pun. One of the most successful fundraisers held by Lancaster Farmland Trust in the early years was a picnic and tour on the farm where WITNESS was filmed. At the time of the filming, the farm was not Amish-owned, and was made to look Amish for the movie, and then “put back” afterwards. Ironically, a few years after the film, the farm was sold. The new owners were Amish, so what Hollywood once made look the part, was now truly playing out.
Before the farm was sold to the Amish family, when owner Paul Krantz was still operating the farm, he approached Lancaster Farmland Trust to learn more about permanently preserving the land. After much deliberation, he and his family decided to move forward with preserving their farm with Lancaster Farmland Trust. It was agreed that due to the now-famous nature of the farm, Lancaster Farmland Trust could likely raise some of the funds needed to protect the land through an event at the farm. Unfortunately, Paul Krantz passed away before the event itself could take place, but his children were determined to honor his vision for the event and carried it out in conjunction with Lancaster Farmland Trust on a beautiful fall day in 1992. Many activities were held on the farm that day, but one of the more interesting money-makers for Lancaster Farmland Trust was the sale of one-inch-square plots of WITNESS farm property (ceremoniously.) For $25 people could purchase a “deed” to their inch of movie nostalgia, and of course help the preservation of Lancaster County farmland.
I can’t prove the authenticity of the rumor, as I have no concrete evidence, but Harrison Ford was said to have bought a whole bunch of them. Harrison Ford, who today is still a big Hollywood star, was in the 1980’s the A-list actor of A-list actors. He lived in Lancaster County while filming WITNESS, and he is quoted in various places as saying he truly enjoyed his time in Amish Country and had developed an appreciation for the Amish community through his experience on set.
In fact, in a 1991 edition of Lancaster Magazine, Harrison Ford is quoted:
I have had the firsthand opportunity to experience a special place and an extraordinary community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. An important part of America’s heritage, this area of exceptional resources is home to a culture of wholeness and productivity that must be preserved. It is under enormous pressure. Farms, countryside communities and cultures are threatened with being overwhelmed by suburbanization, highway and commercialization. This is too important a part of America to lose by default. Please join me in supporting the Lancaster Farmland Trust in our mission to preserve Lancaster County farmland resources and to move toward a more sustainable and agricultural community. Together we can save an important part of America’s heritage.
Over 800 people attended the festivities at the WITNESS farm that day, and over $9,000 was raised. Today, Lancaster Farmland Trust is a much larger, and nationally renowned organization, often studied by other communities as a prime example of how to run a conservation and preservation farmland trust. While still independent and privately run, Lancaster Farmland Trust does receive limited funds from government agencies whose mission is to preserve and conserve agricultural land, which adds to Lancaster Farmland Trust’s ability to perform their important work. Private and corporate gifts are still a major part of the budget, and events are held throughout the year to provide opportunities for the public to support and learn more about Lancaster Farmland Trust.
Want a truly unique remembrance of your time in Lancaster County? Try attending a Lancaster Farmland Trust “breakfast on the farm” or run in the 5K or attend the annual dinner celebration. See what’s coming up at https://lancasterfarmlandtrust.org/events/.