A Year to Remember: 10 of Our Favorite LFT Memories in 2023

2023 was a year of great successes, fun events, and cherished memories for Lancaster Farmland Trust! While there are too many great LFT moments to list here, we've chosen 10 of our favorites from 2023 to ring in the new year. So, sit back and get ready to reminisce with us!

Launching Our Three-Year Strategic Plan

In January of 2023, LFT released a vigorous 3-year strategic plan to accelerate our preservation, conservation, and stewardship work. Later that month, we hosted a party to celebrate the launch of our new plan, preparing for a successful year with our donors and close supporters. We know the next year will be full of even more strides in the success of this plan! To read the entire strategic plan, click here.

Reaching 35,000 Preserved Acres on Our 35th Anniversary

This past June, we celebrated an enormous milestone: 35,000 preserved acres of farmland in our 35th year of operation. Click here to learn more about this accomplishment. While we are so proud of this work, we still have much to do in the coming years. "We do not have the next 35 years to preserve the next 35,000 acres," says CEO Jeff Swinehart. Our goal is to vigorously accelerate the protection of our land because once it's gone, you can't get it back. To help us in our mission, click here.

Planting Trees with Lots of New Friends

Planting trees on farms is a great way to help a farmer out and help improve the environment! With the help of our corporate friends, we accomplished two tree plantings in 2023. We hope to hold more public plantings in 2024, so keep your eyes peeled for coming volunteer opportunities!

Participating in and Hosting Exciting Events

2023 was a year packed with exciting events for LFT! We enjoyed seeing your smiling faces from Breakfast on the Farm to the Lancaster Farm Festival! We are honored to have the opportunity to educate our community, and we can't wait to do more events in the coming year.

Accelerating Our Work in Preservation, Conservation, and Stewardship

We've made significant strides in our work so far in 2023. Together, we've preserved 13 new farms, reduced 35,000 pounds of nitrogen in our waterways, monitored over 560 farms, and completed 11 BMP projects.
We aim to preserve seven more farms before the start of 2024, but we need your help! Click here to give to our mission and help us reach 20 protected farms before the year ends.

Expanding Our Team with Three New Staff Members

We are so happy to see our LFT team grow! We've added three new faces to our Development and Communications departments this year. Thank you for helping us welcome Jonathan Dunkle, Jamie Hall, and Chandra Crosson in 2023!

Launching The Coop (Our Monthly Giving Program)

In 2023, we launched our new monthly giving program, The Coop! When you join The Coop, you'll join a community of other monthly donors and receive different perks depending on your level of giving. To join The Coop and learn more, click here.

Celebrating Our Most Successful Year of Holiday Generosity

The holidays are a great season of giving, and we were fortunate to see that generosity here at LFT! Thanks to your support and fundraising, LFT raised $82,748 in November on Lancaster's ExtraGive Day! In December, your participation in our Holiday Silent Auction raised $6,335 for our mission and supported numerous local businesses.

Capturing the Stories of Our Farmers with Four New LFT Videos

In July, LFT Staff partnered with Midland Media LLC to create four new inspiring and educational LFT videos. These videos highlight our preservation, conservation, stewardship, and water quality work, educating our community and capturing the stories of our farmers' successes! Click here to watch these videos on our YouTube channel!

Cherishing moments with you!

Whether you give to LFT, like our Instagram posts, or read our blogs, we are grateful to each of our friends and supporters. Our work depends on people like you who care about Lancaster's unique landscape. We have cherished every moment with you this year, and we can't wait to spend more time with you in 2024!

Here's to the next year of farmland preservation! We can't wait to see what 2024 has in store. We wish everyone a safe and happy New Year's, and we'll see you next year!