On April 10, the PA Department of Agriculture announced Pennsylvania is investing nearly $12 million to purchase development rights for 3,187 acres on 29 farms in 17 counties, protecting them from future residential or commercial development.

The farms are located in Adams, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Carbon, Chester, Cumberland, Fayette, Franklin, Lawrence, Lebanon, Mercer, Montgomery, Northampton, Potter, Schuylkill and York counties.

These joint investments by state and local governments ensure that Pennsylvania farmers will have the prime-quality land they need to continue feeding our families and supporting jobs and communities in the future.

Since the Shapiro Administration began, Pennsylvania has preserved 380 new farms and 32,505 prime acres of farmland across the state.

“Pennsylvania has some of the most productive farmland in the nation,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “When that land is lost to development, we lose one of our most valuable economic assets. The Shapiro Administration continues to stand up for Pennsylvania’s farmers by supporting the contributions they have made to seal our reputation as a national leader, and by investing to protect and improve the resources they need tomorrow, and the innovations that will keep PA on top.”

In 2023 and 2024, Pennsylvania preserved 332 new farms and 27,481 prime acres of farmland across the state, investing more than $96.6 million. Pennsylvania continues to lead the nation in preserved farmland.

Since 1988, when voters overwhelmingly supported creating the state’s Farmland Preservation Program, Pennsylvania has protected 6,530 farms and 652,085 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing nearly $1.76 billion in state, county, and local funds.

The state partners with local governments and nonprofits to purchase development rights for preservation, ensuring a strong future for farming and food security.

By selling development rights, farm owners ensure that their farms will remain productive farms and never be sold to developers.

The 600-acre Holl Farm — Cumberland County’s largest preserved farm to date — will leverage federal dollars to preserve farms on the county’s wait list by virtue of participating in the federal government’s easement program in 2024.

Click Here for a list of farms preserved and the announcement.

Visit Agriculture’s Farmland Preservation Program webpage to learn more about this program.

Related Articles This Week:

-- In Case You Missed It: What Conservationists, Outdoor Recreation Leaders, and Tourism Organizations are Saying about DCNR’s Surge in Campsite Reservations After Federal Staff Cuts

-- DCNR Celebrates Opening Of ADA-Accessible Pedestrian Bridge At Adams-Ricci Park In Cumberland County

-- April 11 Take Five Fridays With Pam, PA Parks & Forests Foundation  [PaEN]

-- DCNR Names Tyler Ickes Manager For Sinnemahoning State Park In Cameron, Potter Counties

-- The Center Square: All Eyes On Pennsylvania For America250 Celebration

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Protect Public Lands To Protect Local Businesses And Communities - By Silas Chamberlin, DCNR Conservation & Natural Resources Advisory Council & York County Economic Alliance [Federal Recreation Cuts]

-- MCall Guest Essay: Preserving Our Parks Invests In Nature And The Nation - By Kiera Shellhammer, Citizens Climate Lobby

-- Pennsylvania Invests Nearly $12 Million To Ensure 3,187 Acres On 29 Farms in 17 Counties Stay Farms Forever [PaEN]

-- Over 1,300 Acres Of Forest Preserved In Northwest PA By Foundation For Sustainable Forests in 2024  [PaEN]

-- Manada Conservancy Protects 656 Acres in Kittatinny Ridge Conservation Landscape In Dauphin County [PaEN]

-- Foundation For Sustainable Forests Hosts April 15 ‘Tap Talk’ Presentation By Brian Donahue, Author Of Slow Wood - Greener Building From Local Forests  [PaEN]

-- Apply Now! PA Master Naturalist Volunteer Fall Training In Allegheny, Butler, Cambria, Center/Huntingdon, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Montgomery, Westmoreland Counties  [PaEN]

-- Brodhead Watershed Assn. Hosts May 6 Gardening For Wildlife - How People Benefit When Nature Thrives Workshop In Monroe County [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership: Conservation Partnerships Drive Public Land Access In Pennsylvania

-- MCall: Northampton County Will Preserve 43 Acres Of Open Space In Stockertown

-- TribLive: Seton Hill, Westmoreland Land Trust Host April 13 Outdoor Family Event

-- Central PA Conservancy: April 11-12 Celebrate Letort Spring Preserve Weekend In Cumberland County

-- South Mountain Partnership May 16 Spring Partnership Meeting, Regional Trail Coalition Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, and York Counties Kick-Off Meeting In Adams County

-- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Spring In-Person Native Plant Sale May 17 & 18 In Berks County

-- Penn State Extension: May 8 In-Person Workshop On Gardening With Nature - Creating A Pollinator Paradise In Cumberland County, 7:00 p.m.

-- Willistown Conservation Trust Hosts May 15 Exploring Otter Populations, Conservation And Their Vital Role In Nature, Rushton Conservation Center, Delaware County, 6:00 p.m.

-- TribLive: Seton Hill, Westmoreland Land Trust Host April 13 Outdoor Family Event

-- WHYY: New Book By Doug Tallamy Urges Everyone To Put Native Plants In Their Yards

-- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Spring In-Person Native Plant Sale May 17 & 18 In Berks County

-- Penn State Extension: May 8 In-Person Workshop On Gardening With Nature - Creating A Pollinator Paradise In Cumberland County, 7:00 p.m.

-- NextPittsburgh: New Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Plan Focuses On Access, Wellness And Community

-- TribLive: Leechburg, Armstrong County Tow Path Trail Connects Borough To Counties, Miles Beyond

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Allegheny Closes On Rail Line For Major Trail Conversion 

-- The Allegheny Front - Kara Holsopple: A Trip Down The Youghiogheny River Through Photos

-- PennLive: Wife Of Fisherman Who Died At Dock Street Dam Sues City Of Harrisburg

-- TribLive: President Orders National Parks To Remain Open Amid Staffing Shortages

-- Financial Times: US Bicycle Prices Will Rise ‘Up To 50%’ As China Trade War Escalates

[Posted: April 10, 2025]

4/14/2025