Here is something to consider: Since 1959, more than 100,000 acres of farmland in Lancaster County have been lost to development forever. In the 1980's we lost about 4,800 acres per year—a 10-year swath of destruction totaling 68 square miles. This was all to accommodate an additional 60,000 people.
If the population increases by another 100,00 people in the next couple of decades, as has been projected, then how much more will we lose? The more we lose, the harder and more futile it will be to save the rest. We can not wait until 2020 to see what happens. We must join together with those who have been working hard to save the county and add to their good work, or all of our efforts will fail and come to nothing. A very special place on the earth is endangered. We should all take notice and act accordingly.
Farming is not a sure thing. Not everyone can make it. Selling land for development is guaranteed cash; raising crops isn't. Keeping farming profitable is probably the single best thing we can do to preserve farmland and our overall quality of life.
Hemp should be considered a key component in the overall strategy to halt the destruction of the unique aspects of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
We have some of the best soil on earth, but that same soil has become like sand in an hour glass. We must put forth the fullness of our efforts before time runs out, and the only thing we have to remind us of our agricultural past is the grass and weeds growing out of the cracks of our
urban sidewalks.
Industrial hemp has the potential to become a serious cash crop in America. We must develop and implement a strategy to grow, harvest and process hemp immediately
There was a time when the fame of the Lancaster County hemp industry spread far and wide. Our ancestors produced some of the best hemp and hemp products in the world. Think of what a revival of the hemp industry could do for us now!
Hemp will thrive in many regions of America, but here in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the fame of our former hemp industry is what is going to create instant product recognition and that fame will help sell our hemp today.
Redeveloping the great Pennsylvania hemp industry won't be easy, it won't just happen automatically and the results are not guaranteed. Everything it takes to succeed though we have in great abundance—teamwork, intelligence, innovation, vision, perseverance, hard work, capital, industry, close proximity to all major East Coast markets and some of the best soil on earth.
Hempstone Heritage is working to help preserve farmland and I am pleased to announce that one dollar from the sale of each book in the Hempstone Heritage Series goes to the Lancaster Farmland Trust to preserve this vital resource. Hempstone Heritage has already made a contribution, which along with the matching grant has saved two acres of prime farmland in Lancaster County's West Hempfield Township. Hempstone Heritage plans on helping the Trust to save many more acres of farmland and help preserve the Garden Spot of the World.
