The Hartman family has thrived as farmers in Berks County for seven generations.
With five farms covering more than 1,100 acres in Berks and Lancaster counties, the family focused on feeding its animals, especially dairy cows, by producing corn, soybeans and hay.
But the operation could have come to a screeching halt in 2007 with the death of the patriarchal head of the farm, Edward G. Hartman, if his sons had not planned properly. Chris Hartman, a Wyomissing lawyer, helped his brothers, who are farming the land, prepare for their parents’ passing, knowing they would face a 4.5 percent state inheritance tax. → Read more…