Lancaster Farmland Trust Honors Owners of Preserved Farms at Annual Dinner

2009 Award Winners Named

Lancaster Farmland Trust honored owners of preserved farms and individuals and businesses who support the Trust at its annual dinner on October 21st. Twenty-four Lancaster County farmers were honored for preserving their farms with the Trust within the past year. The following awards also were presented:

• The Darvin Boyd Service to Agriculture Award was presented to Senator Mike Brubaker, Senator from Pennsylvania’s 36th district and Chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. This award is named after Darvin Boyd, a well known supporter of agriculture in and beyond Lancaster County. The award is given to an individual who through his profession and many affiliations, has helped raise the status of agriculture in the community. “Senator Brubaker has been a long-time friend of farmland preservation and a dedicated supporter of Lancaster Farmland Trust,” said Karen Martynick, Executive Director of the Trust. “He has helped promote the importance of farmland preservation throughout our community and is a staunch supporter of the Trust’s mission to save our home, harvest, and heritage in Lancaster County.”
  
  
• Corporate Sponsor of the Year: PPL Electric Utilities
  
  
• Distinguished Benefactor of the Year: Dennis and Betty Jo Grimm
  
  
• Amos H. Funk Spirit of Cooperation: Chester County Solid Waste Authority and Caernarvon Township; and Matt Knepper, Executive Director of the Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board.
  
  
• Volunteers of the Year: Frances Reinhart and Lynn Dulabohn
  
  
• Distinguished Service Award: Retiring Lancaster Farmland Trust board members Phyllis Whitesell, Don Robinson, Larry Shirk, Doug Smith, and Dwight Rohrer

A highlight of the evening was a silent auction with over 70 items. The auction included several items from preserved farms such as emu oil and bologna, a unique “Lunch with the Llamas” on a preserved farm, and green eggs and ham along with an American hen.

Dinner attendees also helped save an 85 acre Amish farm in Leacock Township through a live “acres for auction” event. The live auction allows participants to “bid” on a featured local farm in one quarter, one half and one acre increments to preserve it. Supporters’ bids were matched dollar for dollar by a matching grant from the Lancaster County Commissioners. Representative Scott Boyd served as auctioneer for the special event.

The dinner and auctions raised over $105,000 for farmland preservation, making this year's celebration of farmland preservation a record breaking fundraising event for Lancaster Farmland Trust.
 
Sponsors of this year's dinner included Rocky Knoll LTD, Wenger's Feed Mill, Turkey Hill Dairy, Hoober Inc., Poochstyle, PNC Bank, Caldwell, Heckles & Eagen Inc., Diehm & Sons, Inc., Fulton Bank, Goodville Mutual Casualty Company, Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Charter Homes & Neighborhoods.

Enjoy pictures from this year’s event.