Lancaster Farmland Trust Records

Lancaster Farmland Trust was founded in May of 1988 as the Friends of Agricultural Land Preservation, a support arm of the Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board. In August of that year, the name was changed to Lancaster Farmland Trust. The mission of this non-profit organization is to "preserve the rich and productive farmland of Lancaster County, to support good stewardship of the land, and to encourage a thriving agricultural economy." LFT began with two staff members, and preserved its first three farms in December 1988 with a gift from the Garber family of East Donegal Township. In 1991, LFT and the Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board celebrated the joint preservation of 10,000 acres of farmland in Lancaster County. A similar 20,000 acre joint celebration was held at Franklin and Marshall College in the Fall of 1995. In August of 1999, Lancaster Farmland Trust celebrated the preservation of its 100th farm. LFT's current executive director, Karen Martynick joined LFT in July 2004, having previously served as a Chester County commissioner. During her twelve years in public office, Chester County preserved over 30,000 acres of farmland. For a more complete timeline of LFT's history, please visit the Who We Are section of the organization's website at www.savelancasterfarms.org.