Marion Township farm to stay as is for generations to come
Now is better than never, as the LHL Farm in Marion Township is the newest Butler County farm to benefit from the state’s Farmland Preservation Program.
Larry Lang, the owner of the 92-acre beef and cattle farm, said it took 10 years before being approved by the state, but the benefits of the program were well worth the wait, as his farm will now be able to stay a farm forever.
“We are thrilled about it,” Lang said. “It has been a struggle for us. This is really going to help us out.”
The farm was granted $292,149 by the state for its development rights, ensuring the land will remain dedicated to agriculture forever and will stay in the Lang family.
This announcement was part of a near $10 million purchase of 2,672 acres on 35 farms across 18 counties in Pennsylvania, which also included a 24-acre crop farm in nearby Beaver County.
“We have not seen the money yet,” Lang said. “It is ours to use as we want. We will use it to pay the mortgage off and then we get the rest of it.”
Lang operates the farm alongside his wife, Carrie Lang, and his daughter Sara Lang, after purchasing the farm back in 1999.
Since Gov. Josh Shapiro took office in 2023, Pennsylvania has invested $125.2 million to preserve 415 new farms and 35,177 prime acres of farmland across the state.
Larry Lang said his best advice to fellow farmers to get in on some of the funding such as this is to apply as early as possible.
He also said, while farmers don’t make as much as they used to make, the need for them will always be there, even beyond providing food on our plates.
“You think about anything you wear too is somehow related to farming,” Larry Lang said. “Wool comes from farming in shirts and sweaters. There are different grains and stuff, that all comes from agriculture.”
William Thiele, the director of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau District 15 and a dairy farmer in Jefferson Township whose farm covers more than 150 acres, was the first Butler County property to be protected through the program.
“I like the fact that the legislature, from our state Representatives and Senators to the governor, recognizes that agriculture is a vital industry in Pennsylvania,” Thiele said “It’s always good to see legislators on both sides of the aisle recognize its importance.”
Jason McBride, a Marion Township supervisor and owner of McBride’s Homestead Farm in the township said there used to be a “couple dozen” farms in the area, but now there are just a handful left.
“We are a very rural township and for a lack of a better term. The cities are growing and the farmers are getting squeezed a little bit,” McBride said. “It's very important for some of the family farms to remain a family farm. With this government program, it ensures that.
“So many times, families feel the pressure to sell out. The financial gain as a farmer is not what it used to be.”
McBride said the costs associated with running a farm have been increasing steadily for quite some time and it’s because of these costs he opened McBride's Pizza Shop in Boyers to help supplement the family’s income.
“I think it's the world we live in,” McBride said. “I don't care what small business you run, the input and product for every small business, including farming, is outrageous.”
McBride said he still believes in the family farm, for not just his family, but for farmers everywhere because of how it can shape you as a person beyond farming itself.
“It's my mentality to raise the family on the farm,” McBride said. “We did without the family vacations, (and) we did without the new cars, but I got a solid work ethic for my family, raised with farm values — and you can't put a price on that.
“At the end of the day, you have to have enough money to pay the electric bill, but if you are a farmer, at the end of the day, you are here for your family and the farm life gives opportunity for your kids.”
To learn about how to apply, reach out to Stephanie Zimmerman with the Department of Agriculture at 717-783-3167 or by email at stzimmerma@pa.gov. More about the state’s Farmland Preservation Program is also available online at agriculture.pa.gov.
