New Britain Township, located in Lancaster County, has a zoning regulation that says to be defined as a farm you need at least 20 acres. We would just qualify; ours is 23, but some of that is house and lawn and the Kibler School grounds, so we’d be close. I know of the “Fourteen Acre Farm” near Jim Thorpe, well-known for its produce, and I also know of a farm in Mahoning Township that is less than 20 acres that, through careful management, raises all kinds of specialty crops.
Dr. Judith Shoemaker, who owns the farm in New Britain Township that is only 16.4 acres, has gone to court to overturn the Township regs that limit her operation. She raises Angora goats. I hope she wins. According to the USDA, half the farms in Pennsylvania are under 50 acres.
See “Too Little to Be a Farm?, Lancaster Farming, (Oct. 10, 2020), p. A1, A11-A12.
I have to wonder if this isn't in violation of Pa Agriculture protection? There are many small farms that only produce Vegetables for sale to the public and that is Agriculture in and out.
ReplyDeleteI hope the attorney for Ms. Shoemaker is looking into that.
ReplyDelete