Martic Township, in the river hills of southern Lancaster County, is home to the newest preserved farm in the county.
This afternoon, staff from Lancaster Farmland Trust (LFT) met at the Norton farm to sign paperwork and add their 57-acres to the growing list of preserved farms in Lancaster County.
Nestled at the end of a long driveway, the farm is home to horses, chickens, and an attentive farm cat. Pastures for the horses and chickens consume 20 acres. A local farmer rents the remainder of the farmland to grow corn, soybeans, and hay. The farm owner, and the renting farmer, employs conservation practices, such as conservation tillage or no-till, cover crops, and field contours.
Within a two-mile radius of the Norton farm, there are 26 other preserved farms totaling more than 1,634 acres of preserved land nearby. Two of those farms are directly adjacent to the Norton farm, creating a large, contiguous block of protected land.
The family is happy to join their many neighbors who have already preserved, creating viable future for agriculture in Lancaster County.
