The Department of Agriculture this week announced that 53 additional farms, totaling 5,674 acres, were preserved during the state farmland preservation board meeting in Harrisburg. Pennsylvania now has more than 300,000 acres of farmland preserved.

The farms preserved during this week’s meeting represent 23 counties including: Adams, Bedford, Berks, Butler, Clinton, Dauphin, Huntingdon, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Mifflin, Monroe, Northampton, Perry, Potter, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Tioga, Washington, Westmoreland, Wyoming and York.

Fifty-five of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties are currently enrolled in the program.

Pennsylvania continues to lead the nation in the total number of farms and acreage preserved for agriculture. Currently, 2,618 farms and 301,120 acres have been protected through the state program.

For more information visit the Farmland Preservation Program webpage.

4/22/2005