Pennsylvania farmer protects 170-acre farm after turning down two lucrative development offers

For Biddle, the farm represents decades of work and memories (Bellisario Student Media photo) For 70 years, Jeff Biddle has lived and worked on Bear Meadows Farm near Tussey Mountain in Pennsylvania. He has raised cattle, grown crops and watched bears, turkeys, deer and waterfowl from the woods around his home. In July this year, Biddle permanently protected the 170-acre farm from development after turning down two lucrative offers from buyers, according to the Centre County Farmland Trust (CCFT).Biddle finalised a conservation easement with CCFT in July. The legally binding agreement prevents the land from being developed and is attached to the property deed, meaning the protection will remain even if the farm changes ownership in the future.Biddle had been thinking about preserving the farm for about 30 years. He rejected two offers from interested buyers, including one who told him he could make a lot of money from the property and pointed to its beauty.“And I said ‘Yes, I do,’ have a beautiful property,” Biddle said. “And that’s because there’s no houses on it, which is true. I mean, once you build houses and look at rooftops, it’s not beautiful anymore. It’s a nice development...