Today we’d like to introduce you to Donna Doan.
Donna, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
We are Patterson Farm Preservation, Inc., an organization formed by neighbors who were concerned about the future of our local municipal-owned farm. What began as local residents individually advocating for farm and historic preservation at township supervisor’s meetings has evolved into a formidable non-profit 501(c)3 organization, now more than 10 years in operation, that has successfully held elected officials accountable for the proper stewardship of one of Pennsylvania’s most unique and significant historic farms.
Patterson Farm in Yardley, PA may be the oldest continuously productive vegetable farm in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The 234-acre farm was obtained by Lower Makefield Township from the farm’s former owners Thomas & Alice Patterson in 1998 by an eminent domain taking. With soils rated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as “Soils of Statewide Importance” Patterson Farm is prime farmland. Its two historic farmsteads, each with working outbuildings and barns date back to the Commonwealth’s earliest settlement. The farm’s recorded history began in 1683 when Thomas Janney, a Quaker Preacher and member of William Penn’s Provincial Council settled the farm with his family. Artifacts found on the farm suggest the land was formerly in use by Native Americans. Across the farm’s 343 years in agriculture, it has produced the gamut of food and fiber products. The stalwart farm has witnessed the founding of our nation and has provided sustenance to citizens during the American Revolution, Civil War, World Wars, the Depression, and the ebbs and flows of generations of abundance and lack. For three centuries it prevailed under the caring stewardship of generations of agriculturists who passed it to the next generation of agriculturists. Today it is under municipal ownership and therein lies the challenge.
The road to saving our community farm has been complicated and sometimes frustrating. Although the farm has been continuously rented to local farmers during the past 28 years of municipal ownership, the agricultural infrastructure was left to decay. When the formerly well-maintained farm fell into disrepair via government defunding, we rallied for its upkeep. When income from the farm’s rent was comingled with other municipal funds, we demanded a separate accounting. When transient elected officials attempted to sell off a parcel of the farm containing the historic Satterthwaite Farmhouse, one of the oldest homesteads in the township, we raised our voices in protest until the sale was squelched. When elected officials vacillated on preservation of the farmland, we attended meetings, enlisted the help of County Farmland Preservation officials and strongly advocated until a protective covenant was achieved protecting 100 acres of irreplaceable fertile soil. To amplify our outreach, we sought help from Preservation Pennsylvania, a statewide preservation organization. In 2021 Patterson Farm was added to Preservation Pennsylvania’s At-Risk List, an annual list that brings statewide attention to endangered properties of importance in the Commonwealth. That listing led to the formation of a township Ad Hoc Property Committee, and the subsequent Patterson Farm Master Plan Implementation Committee tasked with formulating a plan to manage the farm. As a result, some of the agricultural outbuildings have received basic maintenance under the direction of the township. It’s a step toward creating an affirmative maintenance schedule, but more is needed. This year the township agreed to allow submission of an application for Patterson Farm to the National Register of Historic Places, which the state Historic Preservation Committee voted unanimously to accept just days ago. We now await the endorsement of the National Park Service.
We are proud of the progress we’ve made but there is still quite a bit of work to prepare Patterson Farm for its 350th anniversary in 2033. Several acres of prime farmland remain unprotected. We continue to advocate for the township to complete that protection. Although some repairs have been scheduled, the farmers are still unable to use several of the outbuildings that support agriculture, and there are some who wish to permanently halt the agricultural use of those buildings in favor of non-agricultural uses. We oppose uses that conflict with farming. We call on elected officials to respect and enforce the Agricultural Security Area in which Patterson Farm is located. We support the formation of an Agricultural Security Area Advisory Committee (ASAAC), as stipulated by Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Area Security Law. The purpose of the ASAAC, comprised of three active farmers, one citizen and one elected official, is to advise the municipality on matters concerning the Ag Security Area.
Our volunteer group has proposed a plan to create Patterson Agriculture & Heritage Center in Satterthwaite House, to support the future of agriculture on the farm, to house farmers, and to serve as our organization’s home base. We have offered to help restore Satterthwaite House and offer educational programming that connects citizens with the practice of agriculture and the land that feeds them, with our rich local history, and with the farms’ magnificent natural habitat. With permission from the township and with grant funding received from the Questers organization, we have begun a small restoration project we hope will lead to further collaborations. We have a team of skilled volunteers, willing to lend their time and talent to save the landmark farm from further deterioration, and we welcome others who are willing to volunteer or collaborate.
We have great optimism that with proper stewardship Patterson Farm can remain productive for another 300 years. The cause is worthy and our volunteers have dedicated unflagging energy to seeing that come to fruition. We began our efforts meeting around the dining room table in the restored historic home of our President Jeff Hirko and his wife, Kathy. We were people with a common goal. Our Organization’s Board being comprised of a farmer who farmed Patterson Farm, a carpenter and seasoned restorationist, a farmer’s daughter, a farmer’s niece, an educator, and an activist/author. From those five board members we have grown to a following of thousands on social media. We saw a need and sought to fill it. Never doubt the ability of dedicated people to make a positive impact. Like Willie Nelson’s Farm Aid efforts, the cause of sustaining our local food supply resonates with people. Farms within large population centers, like Patterson Farm, are essential for access to fresh affordable food, educating future generations about sustainability, and reducing transportation impacts. We hope our efforts will inspire others to become active in their community to save local farmland and support the farmers who grow our food. Everyone eats, so everyone has a role in preserving the farms that sustain us! Farmers are outnumbered and outvoted, so they must have our help.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road, trying to save a farm. One would imagine that elected officials would be in robust agreement with farm preservation but that has not always been the case in our once-rural but now suburban Philadelphia location. While politicians like to pose for pictures in front of bucolic farm vistas at election time, we have been disappointed with the lack of results from some local elected officials regarding protecting farmland. The transient nature of elected officials has been a hurdle, because some lack the affinity for farming that comes more naturally to long-time residents who are accustomed to the benefits of locally-grown food. Astonishingly some people see the destruction of farmland and natural habitat as inevitable “progress”, even though the presence of farmland keeps costs to taxpayers low, mitigates stormwater runoff, and improves quality of life.
As open land disappears to development, remaining acreage is under more intense peril of being developed. In our experience we have seen the majority of farmland in our community lost to development before sound development strategies were created. We have seen our Agricultural Security Area disregarded. For any reader who is in a rural area, please take heed, the time to get active with saving your land is before developers arrive. Place your agricultural land under protective covenant. Work with your local Farmland Preservation office or land trust. Partner will local farmers to keep fertile land out of the hands of those who would remove it from production, and into the hands of our next generation of farmers. Our domestic food supply is essential, but it is also fragile and needs our support.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I work as an Inventory Control Analyst for General Motors but my passion is the preservation of Patterson Farm. Our Board Members, volunteers and supports come from all walks of life; Skilled Trades, Educators, Homemakers, Agriculturists, Professionals, Artisans, Entrepreneurs, etc. All are welcome to lend their time and talents to our cause. We welcome anyone who is willing to support the preservation of agriculture, history and wildlife habitat.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
A wise farm preservationist once told me, “If you are going to preserve farms, you are going to have to get used to the fact that you will be a considerable pain in some people’s backsides!” When I think of that quote, I have to chuckle because it is SO TRUE! We have encountered many people over the years who are ambivalent at best about farm preservation. To this day I do not understand people who don’t prioritize food production on prime farmland. It’s astonishing to learn that some folks would prefer destroying prime agricultural lands in favor of roads, retail centers and ballfields, none of which can feed us. They don’t understand land is a finite resource, and arable land makes up just a small fraction of the earth’s total surface.
Nearly everything our group has accomplished has been because we kept taking steps that were outside our comfort zones. It started with becoming accustomed to public speaking. It is not a comfortable experience to address a board of supervisors (in a televised broadcast) who frankly are not the least bit interested in what you have to say. But you just have to have faith that your cause is worthy. You learn to speak up. You make mistakes. You might embarrass yourself sometimes. I have! I have fumbled my words many times. I once tripped on a chair on the way back to my seat after giving a public comment at a meeting. I felt embarrassed, but so what? I still made my point! You learn pretty quickly to have a thick skin. There are times when we were ignored, condescended to, and outright insulted by elected officials and some members of the public. I’ve had my integrity questioned. The political environment can be unjust and ruthless. But, never let anyone intimidate you into silence. Be bold. Whenever anyone would insult me or mock my passion for farms, I would create more advertising to grow the mission! It worked because the cause is worthy and supporters found their way to our group.
There were also the financial challenges of getting an organization off the ground. If you are dedicated and put the energy into a cause, the money will come. We started with a $20 donation from a woman who believed in us. It really is that simple. Take the first step, and then the next step, and so on. One day you will look back in amazement at what you have accomplished. Maybe you don’t think you have the skills you need. You can learn whatever is necessary. Don’t know how to build a website? Use social media? Put together a PowerPoint Presentation? Give a public speaking presentation to a group of supporters? You will learn! Never be afraid. Never give up. Develop an indomitable spirit! And pray. Pray over your cause. Pray when you don’t know what is the next step. Pray that the right people will join your efforts or be placed on your path. And praise, when you make progress, because you WILL make progress.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pattersonfarmpreservation.org
- Instagram: pattersonfarmpa
