PA Environment Digest Blog: Pennsylvania Invests $8.6 Million To Protect 2,645 Acres Of Farmland In 18 Counties

On August 25, the Department of Agriculture announced 2,645 acres on 35 farms in 18 counties will be forever protected from future residential or commercial development.

The investment of $8.64 million in state, county, and local dollars preserves prime farmland, so that Pennsylvania farms can continue feeding our families and our economy in the future.

"'No farms, no food' is the battle cry for farmland preservation across the country," Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. "Pennsylvania has led that charge, and families who preserve their farms join forces with government, investing together to ensure that future Pennsylvania families will have green spaces and healthy farmland available to produce food, income, and jobs."

Pennsylvania continues to lead the nation in preserved farmland. Since 1988, when voters overwhelmingly supported the creation of the Farmland Preservation Program, Pennsylvania has protected 6,266 farms and 628,967 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing nearly $1.68 billion in state, county, and local funds.

Pennsylvania partners with county and sometimes local governments and nonprofits to purchase development rights, ensuring a strong future for farming and food security. By selling their land's development rights, farm owners ensure that their farms will remain farms and never be sold to developers.

The newly preserved farms are in Adams, Allegheny, Beaver, Berks, Chester, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Erie, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Lycoming, Montgomery, Northampton, Union, and York counties.

Click Here for the list of farms preserved.

Visit Agriculture’s Farmland Preservation webpage for more information on this program.

NewsClips:

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: Advocates Push For Conservation Money In Next Federal Farm Bill

-- PA Environmental Council: Cultivating Connections At Rodale Institute On Organic, Restorative Farming Practices

-- Post-Gazette - Salena Zito: Just Peachy: Visiting Chambersburg To Learn About PA’s Most Famous Fruit

-- WeConservePA: In Their Own Words, 15 Essays By Individuals Who Made The Choice To Permanently Conserve Their Land [PaEN]

-- How One Man's Journey To Becoming A Tree Parent Is Growing A Forest And Inspiring Others - By Diane Huskinson, Stroud Water Resource Center [PaEN]

-- EPA, The Hershey Company Commit $2 Million To Land O'Lakes Dairy Farms Members In PA For Sustainable Farming Initiatives [PaEN]

-- Stroud Water Research Center, PASA Sustainable Agriculture: Launching Agroforestry Project At Wild Fox Farm In Berks County In-Person Sept. 6 [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension, Audubon Society Of Western PA Host Oct. 21 Backyard Stream Repair Field Day In Allegheny County; Other Extension Watershed Resources [PaEN]

-- DEP Invites Comments On Supplement To Manure Management For Environmental Protection Guidance For Animal Manures And Agricultural Process Wastewater [PaEN]