Our Top Ten Moments of 2024: Reflecting on a year of big wins, new looks, and cherished memories
It’s almost time to ring in the New Year! Before we look ahead to 2025, we wanted to take a moment to reminisce on some of our best in 2024. This year was filled with incredible milestones, fun events, and cherished memories for LFT! While there are too many great moments to list here, we’ve chosen 10 of our favorites. So, please take a moment and reflect with us!
1. Reaching 600 farms preserved
On October 16th, we preserved our 600th farm property in one evening! We are grateful to everyone who attended our Together, for the Land event and contributed to protecting the King Farm. Thanks to YOUR support, 600 farms in Lancaster County will remain in agriculture forever.
2. Spreading the word with our awareness campaign
This year, one of our newer adventures was to engage in an awareness campaign to spread the word about our mission to even more of Lancaster County. You may have seen us in new places, promoting our mission through Oaktree billboards, Balance Magazine, LNP, fig, and new content throughout the county. The best part? We aren’t done yet! Keep your eyes peeled for more LFT content out and about in 2025!
3. Managing 51 conservation projects
When we preserve a farm, the work doesn’t end there. We know that one of the most essential pieces of preservation is conservation. That’s why we work with our farmers to implement environmentally friendly practices to ensure their farms and waterways are as healthy as possible! This year, LFT and other partners managed 51 active conservation projects! When we improve protected farms, we know those projects and outcomes won’t be paved over.
4. Connecting over the Farm to Pantry Project
In March, we proudly announced the start of LFT’s Farm to Pantry Project, an innovative second-harvest program dedicated to reducing food waste and alleviating food insecurity in Lancaster County! LFT staff and volunteers harvested pounds of access produce from preserved farms to donate to local food banks. If you’re interested in learning more about this program or would like to join, click here!
5. Expanding our Stewardship Team
Protecting farms doesn’t end at preservation. Stewardship is one of the most critical parts of our work – it ensures that our farms remain protected forever. To do this, we complete annual monitoring visits of all our protected farms. That’s 600 farms monitored in 365 days! This is a tall order, so we’re happy to announce that we are expanding our Stewardship Team for 2025! We’re looking to hire a Monitoring Assistant in the New Year, and if you think you might be a good fit, click here to learn more.
6. Launching a new website (including our merch store!)
We knew it was time for a brand-new look to help us reach more of Lancaster County with our mission. That’s why we began working with Infantree a year ago to craft a new website with a powerful, modern look. Our website and new look launched in August, and we are so grateful for the overwhelming support and positive feedback we’ve received so far! We want to thank Infantree for all their help in creating a website that communicates our work in engaging ways!
P.S. A new website means our first merch store! Click here to check out LFT shirts, hats, totes, and sweatshirts! (With more fun designs to come)
7. Completing 475 outreach visits
Not only are we passionate about spreading the word to potential supporters, but we’re also passionate about spreading the word to other farmers! Every year, our Agricultural Outreach Coordinator, Gordon Hoover, travels across the county to promote LFT’s conservation resources. This year, Gordon and other conservation partners completed 475 outreach visits! Way to go, team – that is a lot of farms!
8. Enjoying 21 events together
2024 was jam-packed with exciting events for LFT! We loved seeing everyone at beer gardens, baseball games, breakfasts, and more. Events are a great way to learn more about LFT and our work – we love connecting with our community. We can’t wait for even more fun events in the new year, and we hope you’re as ready as we are!
9. Receiving two new grants
Our work would not be possible without the support of our generous donors and sponsors. However, another significant part of our funding comes from grants that we receive. Numerous grants help nonprofits like LFT improve their work in water quality, and we are honored to announce that for the first time, we’ve received funding from both the Susquehanna River Basin Commission and the PENNVEST Clean Water Procurement Program! LFT will utilize this funding to help farmers implement BMPs to improve water quality on their farms.
10. Starting a TikTok
It finally happened. After a year of successful (and fun) Instagram Reels, we decided to start a TikTok! Our TikTok launched in June, and we’ve had so much fun hopping on new trends, spreading awareness, and showing off our silly side to the world! For super fun and educational LFT content, click here to give us a follow on TikTok.
