EAST ALLEN TWP., Pa. — If they so choose, the land will be theirs to farm.
There will be no concerns over industrial development blotting out the countryside at Unangst Trees Farm in Bath; no noisy bulldozers defacing nature’s smile.
Rather, the nourishing soil and the giving sky will forever belong to them.
“That today means this farmland will remain preserved — well, we don’t take that lightly. It means that if our girls want to farm it when they get older, it will be here for them.”Kaitlin Unangst, whose husband, Kody, is the son of farm owners Roger and Trudy Unangst
On an early Fall Monday afternoon, JoJo, Sadie and Emma Unangst — ages 4, 2 and 2 months — weren’t sharing their feelings about 51 acres of their grandparents’ Christmas tree and pumpkin farm becoming the 21,000th acre of permanently preserved farmland in Northampton County.
So their mom spoke for them.
“I’m proud to say our daughters are the seventh generation with the farm,” said Kaitlin Unangst, whose husband, Kody, is the son of farm owners Roger and Trudy Unangst.
“That today means this farmland will remain preserved — well, we don’t take that lightly. It means that if our girls want to farm it when they get older, it will be here for them.”
County and state dignitaries and members of the county’s Farmland Preservation took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the farm.
“We’ve owned the farm since the 1860s,” said Roger Unangst, 60.
“Keeping this as farmland is so important to the quality of life in the valley, it really is. Everybody’s learning the importance of it. If you don’t have farmland, it all disappears.”
'We value our land, farmers, future'
Northampton County has preserved 21,000 acres of farmland over 250 farms.
The county's farmland preservation program protects agricultural land from future development by buying agricultural conservation easements from willing farm owners.
The most recent data indicates the county added five more farms, totaling 193 acres, in late August.
The program’s goal is to ensure agricultural land remains available for farming, thereby promoting economic stability for farmers and preserving the county's agricultural character.
The program involves farm owners voluntarily selling their development rights.
“The farmers are the future of our community.”Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure
“The farmers are the future of our community,” Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure said.
“We are protecting working farmland so that it will never be developed. The land that will always remain in agriculture, and land that will continue to sustain us for generations to come.
“This is about people who rise before dawn to tend to their fields. In Northampton County, we value our land, our farmers and our future.”
'Remarkable what they've achieved'
Northampton County’s commitment to farmland preservation is a reflection of the values throughout the Commonwealth, said Heidi Secord, Pennsylvania deputy secretary of agriculture.
“It is remarkable what they’ve achieved in Northampton County,” she said.
“And since 1988 in Pennsylvania, the state has preserved 650,000 acres and 6,200 farms.
“Preservation isn’t just a policy; it’s a practice. And here in Northampton County, that practice is strong.”
In 1999, the original Unangst Farm was preserved through the Northampton County Farmland Preservation Program.
“It’s extremely important to preserve the farmland, The key factor is, once the land is lost, it can never go back to farmland again.”Stephanie Zimmerman, state director, bureau of farmland preservation.
In 2022, the preservation went through to preserve an additional 83 acres.
The Unangst farm, stretching across Route 512 south of Bath, began as a dairy and grain farm.
However, as economic times changed, so, too, did the farm, as Unangst began planting Christmas trees beginning in 1984 and pumpkins in 1999.
The farm now plants abut 13,000 Christmas trees annually during Spring.
On Monday, visitors enjoyed a hayride — driven by Unangst — to the ribbon-cutting site in the shadow of Christmas trees and fields of pumpkins.
Earlier, Unangst was asked what he feels is the best part of farming.
“For my type of farming — Christmas trees and pumpkins — it's putting smiles on people’s faces,” he said. “Today, it seems like there just isn’t enough family time.”
'So critical for food insecurity, jobs'
Northampton County is among 58 of 67 counties in the commonwealth to have a farmland preservation program.
“It’s extremely important to preserve the farmland. The key factor is, once the land is lost, it can never go back to farmland again.”Stephanie Zimmerman, state director, bureau of farmland preservation
“It’s extremely important to preserve the farmland,” said Stephanie Zimmerman, state director, bureau of farmland preservation.
“The key factor is, once the land is lost, it can never go back to farmland again.”
The state’s farmland preservation program was founded in 1989, and it leads the nation in acres and farms preserved.
“This is a huge accomplishment that is so critical for [fighting] food insecurity and jobs in Pennsylvania," Zimmerman said.
"In the Commonwealth, the number one industry is agriculture. If you don’t have the land, you don’t have those jobs."
Before the farmland preservation at his farm, Unangst said he would hear a knock on his door about once a month from developers looking to buy his land and build warehouses and other structures.
His response each time? No thanks.
To which his three granddaughters would have responded — according to their mother — thanks.
