Published June 14. 2018 12:00AM
State and county dignitaries were recently welcomed to David and Sonia Fink’s Heidel Hollow Farm in Germansville.
The June 7 visit had a dual purpose.
This year, Lehigh County’s Agricultural Land Preservation Program and the Pennsylvania Bureau of Farmland Preservation are celebrating 30 years of permanently preserving farms for agricultural production in both the commonwealth and in the county.
More than 5,270 farm owners, have preserved over 550,000 acres in Pennsylvania, which leads the nation in the number of farms and acres preserved.
Over those three decades, Lehigh County has seen more than 300 farms and over 23,000 acres preserved.
In addition to the acreage preserved, the Finks were honored for having a Bicentennial Farm, as the original land warrant for the Heidel Hollow site is dated May 18, 1750.
The land was purchased by Johannes Hunsicker, and Daniel Hunsicker established the homestead in 1852.
Daniel Hunsicker is the uncle of Mary Hunsicker, who married Richard Fink, starting the farm’s Fink family history.
Taking part in the celebration were Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, State Rep. Gary Day, R-187th, Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong, Lehigh County Board of Commissioners Chairman and Sterling Raber Agricultural Land Preservation Board Chairman Marty Nothstein and Lehigh County Commissioner Dr. Percy Dougherty.
PRESS PHOTOS BY DEBRA PALMIERIPennsylvania Director of Farmland Preservation Doug Wolfgang addresses the gathering June 7 at Heidel Hollow Farm, owned by the David Fink family of Germansville. The celebration honored 30 years of farmland preservation in the commonwealth and in Lehigh County.
