What’s happening at Powell Farm?
Growth is on the way at Cranberry Township’s Powell Farm.
Since acquiring the farm property in March 2023, initial steps have been taken toward actualizing the township’s vision of using the land to preserve agriculture and educate the community about local farming.
While the time frame for opening the farm to the public is still undetermined, cleanup of the farm and plans for production have taken strides, said Noah Petronic, farm manager and program supervisor.
Petronic said he is going to start planting next April with 1,700 apple trees, 500 peach trees of 10 to 12 varieties and strawberry fields planned.
“I got to grow them out for a season first and then we’ll figure out how to logistically get people here,” Petronic said.
So far, Petronic said he has had his hands full mowing off some of the overgrown pasture and knocking down thistle.
Next up, work will need to be done to repair some of the buildings and refurbish the property with paint, Petronic said.
“We want to keep this farm as pleasant to look at as possible,” he said.
At the Cranberry Township supervisors meeting on Aug. 7, the board voted 4-0 to purchase a new tractor to supplement the crew at the farm.
“As we move forward with some of the initiatives, we need to be able to till the land, work the land,” said Dan Santoro, township manager. “It is a piece of equipment that’s going to help (Petronic) establish the type of farming that we’re looking to do there.”
Petronic said he is also looking for funding to pipe runoff from the hill to be environmentally conscious.
Upgrades at the farm bring the Powell Farm Advisory Committee closer to making local produce more accessible to the community, as well as honoring previous owner Denton Powell’s wish to preserve the farmland.
“Cranberry is very bustling, very urbanized, compared to what it used to be,” Petronic said. “The township wants to be a good steward to the farms that are left here.”
Beyond preservation and profit, the committee’s mission to teach the community about agriculture is just as important, Petronic said.
“Education will be a huge part of this,” Petronic said.
He said many residents who are not from rural areas or don’t have a background in agriculture are not well-informed about farming.
“There’s a very large disconnect here,” Petronic said.
One of the committee’s primary goals is to keep the community involved through education programs and on-site visits, Petronic said. Visits will be managed based on capacity.
“I’m not planning on adding a parking lot or anything like that because I don’t want to take up any of the green space,” Petronic said. “We don’t want to change the footprint of anything here.”
Support for the project includes $105,504 from the township in 2025, some aid from Giant Eagle toward production and a $30,000 grant from Arconic for a high-density apple orchard.
Financial stability will be a priority for the committee, and selling produce for profit is part of that, Petronic said.
“We’ll be looking at more grant opportunities as we go and fill in the gaps when we need to. This isn’t going to be a cheap adventure either — no farming adventure is. But we want to be fiscally sustainable for sure,” Petronic said.
The 71-acre property was previously owned by Denton Powell, who died in 2021. Powell’s lifelong friend Andy Hack gifted the farm to the township to honor Powell’s last wish: preservation.
“It’s going to be a lot of work, but I think it’s a worthy investment to keep this historical piece of property in the community,” Petronic said.
