The Senate this week approved Senate Bill 723 by Sen. Wenger (R-Lancaster) that would enable authorized private non-profit organizations to partner with governments in the purchase of agricultural conservation easements.

“Pennsylvania’s farmland preservation program has been very successful, but we have the opportunity to make it even better,” Wenger said. “My legislation will offer a new public/private partnership that will bring together the funding efforts of both government and non-governmental entities to expand the opportunities available to our state’s farmers.”

Current law does not expressly allow for non-governmental entities to enter into joint easements for the purposes of farmland preservation, Wenger explained, although there are many benefits in doing so.

“Many Pennsylvania farms are owned by Amish and Plain-sect people who want to preserve their farmland, but whose beliefs discourage them from accepting public money,” Wenger said. “Funding provided by private non-profit organizations offers a solution to that problem.”

Wenger also noted that these organizations can also be an important source of additional funding that can be used to purchase conservation easements. “Although we have preserved more than 300,000 acres of farmland in the last two decades, more than 2,000 properties are still waiting because of a lack of funding,” he said.

“The additional funding provided by non-profits would free up government resources, allowing us to do more today to save valuable land,” Wenger added. “It would also alleviate a large portion of the backlog of waiting farms and further ensure the long-term sustainability of agriculture in Pennsylvania,” Wenger added.

Senate Bill 723 is part of the Preserving the Pennsylvania Farmer campaign introduced by Wenger and Senator Mike Waugh (R-York) last month.

7/8/2005