With more than 5,100 farms throughout the county, Lancaster leads the commonwealth, representing about 10 percent of all PA farms, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture 2017 Census of Agriculture (and the most recent statistics available). This is the first installment of an ongoing series with a focus on small independent farms and creative use of farmland. We hope it serves as a reminder that the food grown and raised in Lancaster County is both diverse and extraordinary and that the people tending the land have stories worth telling. Join us in saluting our neighbors.
The welcome committee at Linden Dale Farm in Strasburg Township is about 100 large, a choir of nonstop bleaters huddled at the gateâs edge. Theyâre curious about this human visitor and whether her jacket might be a tasty midafternoon snack. Itâs a busy time of year for the goat girls and their human shepherds, also known as the Mellingers. From now until summerâs end, each nanny requires twice-daily milking service and produces 8 to 10 pounds of milk a day. That milk is the medium for the familyâs artisanal line of hard and soft cheese, yogurt and sweets. Last year, Andrew Mellinger and his sons Andy and Abe produced more than 10,000 pounds of cheese and dairy products.