Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Land Preservation Board Friday took action to protect 2,687 additional acres on 29 farms in 15 counties through the state’s nation-leading farmland preservation program.

Since the program began in 1988, federal, state, county and local governments have invested more than $1.3 billion to preserve 514,022 acres on 4,860 farms in 57 counties for future agricultural production.

“We all need to eat, and so we’ll always have a need for farmland. Thanks to the foresight of farmers, program staff, Pennsylvania citizens and others who support this work, we’re able to save our best farmland,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “The investments we made at today’s meeting are securing a future for agriculture across Pennsylvania.”

The board preserved farms in 15 counties: Adams, Allegheny, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Butler, Cumberland, Erie, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lycoming, Northampton, Perry and York.

The meeting coincided with the 25th anniversary celebration of the Adams County Farmland Preservation Program, established January 20, 1990.

One of the original six county programs to participate in Pennsylvania’s state farmland preservation program, today Adams County ranks ninth in number of farms preserved and sixth in number of acres preserved.

The program’s efforts to preserve open space is bolstered by the private funds and work of the Land Conservancy of Adams County, which safeguards lands outside of the scope of the farmland preservation program. Counting today’s preserved farm, Adams County has preserved 154 farms totaling 20,809 acres.

“Recent years have seen several milestones for farmland preservation – the state program’s 25th year, Pennsylvania’s 500,000th preserved acre, and now a celebration of one of our vital county farmland preservation programs,” said Redding. “I congratulate Adams County program administrator Ellen Dayhoff and all who have played a role in the county’s quarter-century of success. As an Adams County native, I’m proud to know that agriculture has a bright future there.”

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

A list of farms preserved in this action is available online.  For more information, visit Agriculture’s Farmland Preservation webpage.

10/12/2015