Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Land Preservation Board Thursday safeguarded 2,778 additional acres on 28 farms in 13 counties through the state’s nationally renowned farmland preservation program.

The board preserved farms in Bedford, Bucks, Center, Chester, Cumberland, Erie, Lancaster, Mercer, Montgomery, Northampton, Schuylkill, Susquehanna and Wayne counties.

Since the program began in 1988, federal, state, county and local governments have invested more than $1.2 billion to preserve 489,409 acres on 4,586 farms in 57 counties for future agricultural production.

“The best agricultural land is often the best land for development, but our farmland preservation program ensures prime soils stay in farming,” said Agriculture Secretary George Greig. “I thank the producers who want to preserve their land and the people behind the scenes who make it happen. Together, we’re preserving agriculture, the cornerstone of Pennsylvania’s economy.”

The Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program identifies properties and slows the loss of prime farmland to non-agricultural uses. It enables state, county and local governments to purchase conservation easements, also called development rights, from owners of quality farmland.

In some cases, the federal Farm and Ranchlands Protection Program provides additional assistance. Last fiscal year, Pennsylvania received $4.2 million in federal reimbursements.

For more information, visit Agriculture’s Farmland Preservation webpage.

4/21/2014