We celebrated our 30-year anniversary in 2024!
Learn about the key milestones in the history of the Centre County Farmland Trust as it grew to preserve and protect 1,483 acres over 17 properties.
Feb. 24, 1994: E. Lynn Miller and William Keough co-founded the Centre County Farmland Trust.
E. Lynn Miller and William Keough served on Centre County’s Ag Land Preservation Board, established in 1989 to administer Pennsylvania’s agriculture preservation program in Centre County following the Commonwealth’s enactment of ag preservation legislation in 1988. (Pennsylvania leads the nation in farmland preservation. Learn more.)
Centre County’s Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement (PACE) Program compensates landowners for their development rights.
Miller, a distinguished landscape architect and professor, was frustrated that there were not enough funds to purchase easements for all of the landowner applicants interested in preserving their farms, recalled Dan Pennick, Centre County’s Chief Planner from 1975 to 1998, following Miller’s death in 2020.
What if some of those landowners were willing to donate their development rights to preserve their land? That sparked the idea of a nonprofit land trust that could serve as an option for those landowners.
CCFT’s incorporators all served on the Centre County Agricultural Land Preservation Board and also served as the initial Board of Trustees of CCFT. They are: E. Lynn Miller, William Keough, Marion Deppen, Aileen Homan, Ira Whiteman, Milo Wilson, Rodney Musser and Brooks Way.
The newly formed Centre County Farmland Trust embarked on raising funds and beginning a public relations campaign to inform landowners about donating an Agricultural Conservation Easement to permanently preserve their land.
Fundraising was very slow and by 1999 there was just over $1,000 in the treasury. More than two decades later, Miller bequeathed CCFT funds for the Miller Endowment, established in 2021, to help support the work of land preservation.
2000: Norm Lathbury becomes Executive Director
The Centre County Planning Office hired Norm Lathbury to coordinate the county’s Agricultural Land Preservation Program. Lathbury was also assigned to serve as the Trust’s Executive Director. During Lathbury’s 12-year tenure, the Trust preserved eight properties. Lathbury retired in 2012.
“Norm Lathbury‘s name is synonymous with preserving farmland in Centre County,” said then-president Bob Anderson in a tribute to Lathbury. Lathbury recognized that the Trust would need federal and state credentials as a non-profit organization to move from its creation, vision and charter to a land trust that could execute easements. By October, 2000, the IRS formally recognized the Trust as a 501(c)(3), non-profit corporation, enabling the organization to hold conservation easements. The Pennsylvania Department of State recognized the Trust as a charitable organization and granted permission to raise funds through public solicitation.
2001: New Board of Trustees elected
Members approved a new Board of Trustees at the Annual Meeting: George Hildenbrandt, Robert Poole, William Moerschbacher, Robert Eberhart, C.J. Wagner, Tim Bowser, Elizabeth Goreham, Brian McKinley and Robert Anderson.
2003: First easement in the works
The Trust raised enough money by 2003 to begin the process of preserving the 176-acre Hugh and Barbara Hodge Farm, known for its historic and unique double-bank barn in Penn Township. Amos Goodall, the Trust’s legal counsel, prepared and reviewed the Trust’s first conservation easement.
2004: Hodge Farm & Ripka Farm Preserved
The 176-acre Hodge Farm was permanently preserved. The late Hugh and Barbara Hodge (pictured left, with then CCFT president Bob Anderson) were teachers who loved the land. The farm is known for its historic, double-bank barn, (right) designed and built in 1832 by George Gentzel (1789-1854.)
Carole Vetter Ripka preserved 122 acres in Miles Township through a conservation easement with CCFT. Most of the acreage consists of soils classified as prime farmland and farmland of statewide importance, as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture.
2006: Cole Farm preserved and a key partnership
Herb & April Cole (left) preserved 100 acres in Haines Township with a conservation easement held by the Centre County Farmland Trust. Herb Cole spoke often to farmers and landowners about the importance of land preservation.
Centre County Farmland Trust in 2006 became a partner of the Farmland Preservation Artists of Central Pennsylvania, a group of artists that organized in 2005 to promote the preservation and appreciation of farmland through the visual arts. A portion of the proceeds from sales of artwork at some FPA art exhibits supports the work of the Centre County Farmland Trust.
2007
Roland and Sharyn Leach preserved 152 acres in Curtin Township via a conservation easement held by CCFT.
Sandra Rishel preserved 31 acres in Potter Township with a conservation easement held by CCFT.
2009: Rossman and Schempf Farms preserved
Karen and Barry Rossman preserved 104 acres in Potter Township with a conservation easement held by CCFT.
Pete & Carol Schempf preserved 41 acres in Harris Township with a conservation easement held by the Centre County Farmland Trust. Pete Schempf then served on the Board of Trustees.
2011: Parks & Vandenburg Woodland Preserved
Nancy Parks & Willem Vandenburg preserved 26 acres in Haines Township with a conservation easement held by the Centre County Farmland Trust. Nancy Parks then served on the Board of Trustees.
2012: 283 more preserved acres, a celebration and new executive director
Bridget Stemberger preserved 90 acres in Potter Township through a conservation easement held by the Centre County Farmland Trust.
CCFT launched a Summer Solstice Celebration, hosted by Tait Farm. This became CCFT’s signature outreach event until 2016 and is one reason why we have held an annual donor appreciation picnic around the Summer Solstice.
Following Norm Lathbury’s retirement, Sarah Parker Walter was hired to continue the dual role of administrator of the Centre County Agricultural Land Preservation Program through the County Planning Office and Executive Director of the Centre County Farmland Trust. During Walter’s seven-year tenure, an additional eight properties were conserved.
Leotta Long preserved 193 acres in Gregg Township through an easement held by CCFT. Closing on the Long easement, then Trustee-Derek Canova (second from left) and Trustee Larry Hutchinson (far right) join executive director Sarah Walter and easement donor Leotta Long (seated) at the closing table.
CCFT received a 2012 Historic Preservation Award from the Centre County Historical Society, recognizing CCFT’s work with farm families to place permanent conservation easements on farmland to preserve the county’s rich agricultural heritage and iconic rural landscape.
2014: First logo features Round Barn on Route 45
The Trust adopts a logo, featuring the iconic, historic red Round Barn on Route 45 in Centre County.
2015: Griffin homestead preserved
Joseph Griffin preserved 14 acres in Potter Township through an easement held by the Centre County Farmland Trust. Griffin served on the CCFT Board of Trustees.
2016: Two more farms along Route 45 preserved
Dale Stover preserved 189 acres in Haines Township through an easement held by the Centre County Farmland Trust.
Dale and Shirley Rossman preserved 84 acres in Spring Mills through an easement held by the Centre County Farmland Trust.
The Centre County Farmland Trust in 2016 also took over the popular, long-standing Centre County Farm Tour from the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture. On one summer day, visitors could see and tour up to 11 farms throughout Centre County. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Farm Tour shifted into CCFT’s Farm Routes outreach project.
2018: Coleman Farm and King Farm preserved
Mondon Smith preserved the 109-acre Coleman Farm in Logan Township (Blair County), through an easement held by the Centre County Farmland Trust.
Melvin and Sara King preserved 21 acres in Haines Township with an easement held by the Centre County Farmland Trust.
2019: A departure & reorganization
Sarah Walter departed as director of the Centre County Farmland Trust and the land preservation program within Centre County Planning.
Over the next several months, Centre County and Trust leaders recognized the Trust’s operations and responsibilities of managing easements had grown beyond the county’s available support. While the Trust was created as an entity independent of Centre County government, since its 1994 founding the organization received staff, information technology and office space support from Centre County until 2019.
2020
Co-founder E. Lynn Miller died March 3, 2020. Trustees expressed sympathy to Trustee Derek Canova for the loss of his stepfather and gratitude for Lynn’s contributions as a founder and passionate supporter of CCFT. Miller left a bequest to CCFT for the establishment of an E. Lynn Miller Endowment for Farmland Preservation at the Centre County Farmland Trust.
To safeguard visitors and volunteers during the pandemic, the Trust reworked the annual Centre County Farm Tour into Farm Routes. Info-packed maps were guides to help people explore and appreciate preserved farmland, as they visit the listed farm stands, local food purveyors, wineries, cideries and farmers markets along the beautiful country corridors throughout Centre County. Tourism grants from the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau supported this outreach.
The Trust entered a period of reorganization. Volunteer trustees faced the challenge of steering the organization through a rebuild, independent of county government.
2021
The Miller Endowment was formally established and funds were dispersed to CCFT. Trustees expressed their gratitude and looked forward to an in-person event, following the pandemic to honor Miller.
2022
David Litke preserved 55 acres in Spring Township with an easement held by the Centre County Farmland Trust. Dave Litke serves on the CCFT Board of Trustees.
With much good news to celebrate, CCFT hosted an in-person appreciation event at 814 Cider Works on Route 45 to honor E. Lynn Miller, and thank easement donor David Litke, the Hamer Foundation and CCFT donors — who have been especially loyal through a period of transition and re-organization.
The Hamer Foundation awarded a three-year capacity-building grant to the Centre County Farmland Trust.
With this capacity building support, CCFT Trustees identified stewardship as essential to its mission. Each Trustee voluntarily serves as steward of one or more properties protected by a CCFT easement in support of landowners’ conservation practices and to implement stewardship goals.
2023
Recognizing a need to strengthen its stewardship, CCFT contracts with ClearWater Conservancy, a local accredited land trust, to assist volunteer Trustees with training, education and easement monitoring practices consistent with the Land Trust Alliance.
Danny Brumbaugh (left), Suzy Yetter (center), both of ClearWater Conservancy with easement donor Pete Schempf (right) on a stewardship visit to the Schempf Farm.
The Centre County Farmland Trust embarked on an information systems project to produce an integrated website, supporter/membership database and document archive for the organization. The goal is to increase the organization’s capacity to preserve and protect land.
The Trust adopted a new logo, highlighting farmland and woodland within central Pennsylvania’s Ridge & Valley landscape, a visual symbol of its core mission to preserve and conserve land.
The Trust stepped in to assist new owners of the former Hodge property (the Trust’s first easement in 1994) repair the historic double-bank barn. While CCFT’s focus is land, this first easement included the historic barn and the organization’s responsibility is to the easement. Trustee Catherine Smith spearheaded a project to repair the roof and save the barn with a $2,500 grant from the Historic Barn and Farm Foundation, and CCFT funding for the remainder of the $14,300 roof repair.
The Trust embarked on a strategic planning effort led by Larry Hutchinson, Trustee. Bob Anderson and Pete Schempf, two former CCFT presidents, joined the strategic planning group. Former Trustee Walt Whitmer facilitated strategic planning.
The Trust hired an administrative services professional, Tammy Gentzel.