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Waste authority pays $2.65M for Frey Dairy Farms
BY AD CRABLE, Staff Writer
The Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority has purchased Frey Dairy Farms, a supplier of milk to the adjacent Turkey Hill Dairy in Manor Township.
Frey family members founded Turkey Hill Dairy.
Tom Frey, a third-generation owner of the landmark Frey Dairy Farms, said Wednesday that the family is getting out of the dairy business.
"I'm going to quit milking cows," Frey, president of the corporation, said. The dairy currently has 700 cows.
Frey said the family business will continue to farm crops on their remaining land, "and we have other ideas that we are working on -- all ag related," Frey said.
The land purchased by the authority is contiguous to the authority's Frey Farm Landfill.
The authority purchased the property, which includes 75 acres and the dairy operation, on Dec. 31 for $2.65 million.
"The owners approached us with their intent to sell the Frey Dairy Farms property," said James Warner, CEO of the authority, "and the authority recognized this as an opportunity to secure a key piece of contiguous land."
The authority will lease the property back to Frey Dairy Farms for 18 months.
Authority officials emphasized there are no plans to use the property at 2646 River Road for landfill expansion.
Plans to increase landfill capacity in the future with a vertical expansion of the Frey Farm Landfill are not affected, said authority spokeswoman Kathryn Sandoe.
The purchased Frey Dairy Farms property is located between the Frey Farm Landfill and Turkey Hill Dairy.
It includes the active dairy farm and agricultural land.
This is not the first time the authority has bought land from Frey Dairy Farms. In 2009, the authority purchased 51 acres for nearly $1.1 million to satisfy setback regulations for a wind turbine project and as a source of dirt and dirt storage.
acrable@lnpnews.com
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