When data center developers came calling with a check for more than $15 million, 86-year-old farmer Mervin Raudabaugh didn’t hesitate to show them the door.
The Cumberland County farmer, who has worked the same land for nearly 60 years, turned down an offer exceeding $60,000 per acre for his 261-acre property — a decision that has made him a local hero in his Pennsylvania community.
“I was not interested in destroying my farms,” Raudabaugh told local outlet Fox 43 in an interview published this week. “That was the bottom line. It really wasn’t so much the economic end of it. I just didn’t want to see these two farms destroyed.”
The land on Green Hill Road holds decades of memories for the octogenarian farmer. It’s where his mother died in his arms during the mid-1950s, forcing him to take over the family farming operation while still a junior in high school.
“I was responsible for milking those cows before I went to high school,” Raudabaugh recalled with characteristic humor. “And I missed 31 days my senior year, and they never missed me. I was that popular. Just kidding. But I loved it.”
The property also served as the foundation for his family life with his late wife, Anna Mae, where they raised their children together.
Rather than sell to developers, Raudabaugh opted to sell the development rights to Silver Spring Township’s Land Preservation Program for approximately $1.9 million. The program, established in January 2014, preserves properties with at least 10 acres of open space, farmland, woodland, or wetland.
The decision ensures his acreage will remain agricultural land rather than joining the wave of development that has transformed parts of his township.
“It breaks my heart to think of what’s going to take place here, because only the land that’s preserved here is going to be here,” Raudabaugh told Fox 43. “The rest of every square inch is going to get built on. The American farm family is definitely in trouble.”
Beyond its agricultural value, Raudabaugh noted the property serves as a haven for local wildlife.
“You won’t find that anywhere else,” he said. “You’d have to look awfully hard to find that much good land. It’s a mecca for wildlife, and everything from deer to turtles.”
When asked why he chose preservation over profit, Raudabaugh cited his respect for “God’s green Earth” and a desire to see another family enjoy the land someday.
“I love this land. It’s been my life,” he told Penn Live. “And I realized … if it wasn’t built on or dug up, another set of families could live here and that’s what I wanted to do. And I got it done. And I’m happy.”
Since finalizing the conservation deal, Raudabaugh has become something of a local celebrity, with neighbors and friends expressing gratitude for his choice.
“Friends of mine here are very happy with what I’ve done,” he told Fox 43.
