During the April meeting of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board, an additional 1,792 acres on 32 farms in 14 counties were safeguarded 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 520,619 acres on 4,951 farms in 57 counties for future agricultural production.

“Preserving farmland protects the environment and our natural resources, and supports sustainability of Pennsylvania agriculture,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “I thank the Pennsylvania farm families that know the importance of preserving our farmland for future generations, and for their foresight to conserve the best of Pennsylvania agriculture.”

The board preserved farms in 14 counties: Adams, Armstrong, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Mifflin, Montgomery, Northampton, Washington and Westmoreland.

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 new farms preserved is available online.

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

4/18/2016