Then there were three.

In what's being called a win for farmers and preservationists, Upper Leacock Township Supervisors Thursday night created a 388-acre agricultural security area.

That leaves just three townships in Lancaster County without the designation designed to protect farming.

After a public hearing, Supervisors Ronald Simmons and Keith Greiner voted to approve eight township farmers' ag security area petition. Supervisor Richard Heilig abstained from voting.

"I think it's definitely a positive move for the township," Greiner said today. "It's another planning tool. It brings us more in line with the rest of the county."

Out of the county's 41 townships, East Lampeter, Paradise and Leacock are the only ones without an ag security area.

Land in an ag security area is harder to condemn for government purposes such as schools, sewer lines and highways.

Ag security farms are better protected from nuisance lawsuits and regulations.

Also, ag security is a requirement if a farmer wants to preserve his farm through the county and state preservation programs.

Before the vote, Greiner said he wanted to make sure creating an ag security area would not jeopardize the possibility of a new Route 23 being built someday.

Greiner said he doesn't necessarily support such a project, but he didn't want to do something to kill that option.

"Ag security was not used as a tool to stop Route 23, and that's one reason I support it," he said.

Greiner said some farmers told him their families want to farm in perpetuity and that an ag security area would help them achieve that goal.

Jeff Swinehart, of the private farm-preserver Lancaster Farmland Trust, said Thursday night's vote was a win for farmers and preservationists, nonetheless.

"It reaffirms to the ag community the support of local elected officials who want to see the continuation of agriculture," he said.

He and Greiner do not know if any of the eight petitioning farmers — who are mostly Amish and Mennonite — plan to preserve their farms.

Greiner said he expects more farmers in the township will petition to add their farms to the ag security area now that one has been created.

Swinehart expects some of those farmers will seek to preserve their farms.

Farmers are petitioning for ag security areas in East Lampeter, Paradise and Leacock.

East Lampeter Township farmers are still waiting for a Commonwealth Court decision regarding their 13-farm, 788-acre ag security area request.

Supervisors appealed a Lancaster County Court ruling last July that said farmers, not a municipal governing body, determine the need for ag security areas.

Oral arguments were held in Harrisburg in March. The decision is expected this summer.

In Paradise, 10 farmers have asked for an ag security area of 596 acres.

Supervisor Don Ranck said his board will talk about ag security at their 8 p.m. meeting Thursday at the township building, 12 Township Drive, Paradise.

They also will likely continue the discussion at their May 19 meeting at 7 p.m. at the township building.

In Leacock Township, supervisors in February took no action on a petition from five farmers asking for a security area totaling 369 acres. So the farms will automatically obtain ag security status in August.

UPPER LEACOCK TWP. AG SECURITY AREA
• Ag security area totals 8 farms, 388 acres.
• Land within ag security areas is harder to condemn for uses such as schools, sewer lines, roads.
• Only 3 of 41 townships here — East Lampeter, Leacock and Paradise — do not have ag security areas.


Staff writer Ryan Robinson can be reached at rrobinson@LNPnews.com or 481-6032.