How We Preserve Land
We preserve farms through a formal and binding document called a “conservation easement.”
This type of easement permanently limits uses of the land — in this case it’s limited to agricultural uses. We maintain these easements in perpetuity, across property owners, and uphold the original landowners desire to keep the farm available for agriculture.
A preserved farm doesn’t necessarily look any different than a farm that is not preserved.
The land still grows crops, feeds animals, and supplies fresh, local produce. The difference is the assurance that a preserved farm can continue to provide those things, forever. By preserving farms, the land remains open and the landowner can continue to own and farm their land. Landowners may sell or pass on their land to heirs at any time.
Our Process
Finding farmers who are interested in preserving their farms isn’t hard around here. We have had a waiting list of farmers since 2014 – today, that list holds more than 50 names.
We believe it’s critical that a landowner understand fully the process of preservation, and its long-term implications for their farm. At the first meeting with a landowner, we explain the terms of a standard easement and discuss the landowner’s short- and long-term goals for the farm. We want the landowner to understand what preserving their farm will mean. If the landowner still wants to move forward, the farm moves through a formal review process that ultimately needs to be voted on by our Board of Trustees.
Our founder, Amos Funk, is remembered as the “father of farmland preservation.”
He helped establish Lancaster Farmland Trust to help Plain Sect farmers—who may not want to work with government programs—to preserve their farms for future generations. Amos, along with fellow conservationist Marilyn Ware, formed the Friends of Agricultural Land Preservation in 1988. Shortly after its founding, the Friends of Agricultural Land Preservation was renamed Lancaster Farmland Trust.
In the decades since, we’ve grown into a dynamic organization that stewards more than 600 conservation easements and over 37,000 acres. We’ve achieved wide recognition for the success of our efforts, and today, Lancaster Farmland Trust is a national leader in private farmland preservation and conservation.
Before preserving any farm, Lancaster Farmland Trust takes several due diligence steps.
We provide a final draft of the easement to our legal counsel and to the landowner for their review. Staff encourages the landowner to seek their own legal counsel for review of the document and to seek advice from a tax advisor or financial planner.
We review the existing legal description of the property deed and determine whether a property boundary survey is necessary. If it is, Lancaster Farmland Trust will hire a surveyor. This legal description or survey assists Lancaster Farmland Trust staff when creating a “Baseline Documentation” of the farm. We conduct a title search of the property to determine if there are any liens or other concerns before preserving.
The most exciting part of the process is the settlement meeting.
Our staff meets with the farmer, typically in their home, to sign the conservation easement – this is the last step to permanently preserve the farm.
