Letter to the editor: Land trusts can help farmers

Only a few weeks into 2021 and we have seen it is just as bad as 2020 for local farms. Two prominent local farms, Kretschmann Farm near Rochester and Jamison Farm near Latrobe, have both announced they are shutting down operations. This is partly because of covid, but also due to years of indifference by local communities and mismanagement of farm policies to the detriment of small farmers.

What needs to be done to support local agriculture is already known. Instead, I would like to address any other local farmers who are struggling at this time. For any farmer wanting to ensure your land is not turned into another subdivision, I would recommend looking into a local environmental land trust. Land trusts, like the Hollow Oak Land Trust where I volunteer, protect land both by acquiring properties “fee simple” (the real estate term for full and irrevocable ownership) and by acquiring conservation easements. By donating a conservation easement on your farm to a land trust, you can continue to work and live on your land while protecting it from development and reducing your property taxes.

This alone will not save local agriculture, but it will keep the land available for when times are better.

Austin Jepsky

Moon