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Dept. Of Agriculture Protects 2,264 Acres Of Farmland In 18 Counties; 613,884 Acres Protected

On June 16, the Department of Agriculture announced Pennsylvania protected 2,264 acres on 32 farms in 18 counties from future development, investing nearly $8.2 million in state, county and local dollars to ensure that prime farmland is not lost to development.

This brings Pennsylvania's total to 6,076 farms and 613,884 acres in 58 counties, now forever protected from commercial, industrial or residential development.

Pennsylvania continues to lead the nation in the number of preserved farms, investing more than $1.6 billion since 1988 to protect the state's valuable farmland.

The 32 newly preserved farms are in Berks, Bucks, Centre, Chester, Cumberland,

Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Lycoming, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Schuylkill, Washington and York counties.

"Saving farmland protects the beauty and productivity of our state, the health of our environment, the vitality of our economy, and our ability to feed a growing population," Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. "It is not only one of the most important investments our state, federal and local governments make together, it is a priority we all agree on."

By selling their land's development rights, landowners preserve their farms, protecting land from future residential, commercial or industrial development. Farm families often sell their land at below market value to ensure that it will remain farmland forever.

Pennsylvania partners with county and sometimes local governments and nonprofits to purchase development rights, ensuring a strong future for farming and food security.

Notable farms preserved at the PA Land Preservation Board meeting include--

-- The Nancy A. and Webb C. Miller Farm in Ferguson Township, Centre County is one of three partially forested farms being donated to the program this month. Many preserved farms include valuable woodlots, which provide wildlife habitat, storing carbon and renewing groundwater.

-- Aaron Ezra and Gary H. Eby in East Earl Township, Lancaster County are the sixth generation of the Eby family to farm this land. Preserving the farm will ensure the family's farming legacy for generations to come.

-- W. Darren and Suzanne K. Marsteller's farm in Hopewell Township, York County is in an area under intense development pressure as a bedroom community for Baltimore. Local officials have worked hard to protect area farmland, with 4,431 acres enrolled in the township's Agricultural Security Area, a prerequisite for selling the development rights to preserve a farm.

-- Drew M. and Kimberly S. Cowden raise purebred Shorthorn cattle for show, in Hopewell Township, Washington County, marketing in fifteen states and Canada in recent years.

Click Here for a complete list of farms protected.

Visit the Department of Agriculture's Farmland Preservation webpage for more information on this program.

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