As Centre County continues to turn into residential developments and strip malls, many local farmers are finding it difficult to preserve their farmland. Norm Lathbury, coordinator of the Centre County Agricultural Land Preservation Program and executive director of the Centre County Farmland Trust, said he estimates Centre County is losing two acres a day to development.

Today's economy has forced many local farmers to sell their land because maintaining farms has become too expensive, making a profit has become a challenge and keeping homes has become a struggle. More schools, roadways, hospitals and houses mean more taxes. With limited space, farmers must chose what to do with their farms in order to make some kind of decent living. Farm owners say a profitable farm is at least 400 to 500 acres. So, in the long run, as land continues to be developed, farmers will have little choice but to sell their land.

Although some laws have been implemented to limit how many acres of farmland can be subdivided and sold to developers in Ferguson Township, they do not apply to all surrounding townships. In fact, some residents want to pass regulations that would limit farmers' methods of production and practices.

With a 150-year-old university in the Centre County area, founded as an agricultural institution, Penn State should take a massive initiative to lobby for these farm owners -- let alone the fact that Penn State is the leading engine of development in the county. The people who work for the university live in the housing developments found where corn once stood. Businesses set up to gain from Penn State's human capital and research abilities now occupy land that once saw work done on top of a John Deere.

Penn State prides itself in "high-quality programs in teaching, research and service" in the state of Pennsylvania. The Penn State mission statement asserts the university's responsibility to provide "outreach and public service to support citizens of Pennsylvania" and "engage in collaborative activities with industrial, educational and agricultural partners."

Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has been ranked among the top ten in leading agricultural science research institutions. Besides providing a leading program in agriculture, the college sponsors more than 27 clubs, associations and teams for students to take part in their surrounding communities.

By providing support for local owners, Penn State would be abiding by its mission statements of service to Pennsylvania and would set a precident, and therefore help secure the future for students at the university looking to enter careers in agriculture.