Pennsylvania farmer protects 170-acre farm after 70 years, turns down big offers

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.