Dept. Of Agriculture Invests $9.9 Million To Protect 2,654 Acres On 30 Farms In 14 Counties

On August 12, the Department of Agriculture announced it has invested more than $9.9 million to purchase development rights for 2,654 acres on 30 farms in 14 counties, protecting them from future residential or commercial development under the Farmland Preservation Program. 

2,654 prime farmland acres were preserved in Adams, Armstrong, Berks, Cumberland, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Lycoming, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Susquehanna, Washington, York counties.

These conservation easement purchases ensure that Pennsylvania farmers will have the quality land they need to continue supporting families, communities, and jobs in the future.

“Pennsylvania is a great place to do business,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “Our location near ports, interstates, railways, and 40 percent of the U.S. population means farmers face fierce competition from developers seeking to buy their land. Saving fertile farmland for producing food, rather than losing it to warehouses and suburban sprawl is a critical investment the Shapiro Administration is making along with farm families and county and local governments to feed our families, and our economy, and our future together.”

These easement purchases multiply the impact of Pennsylvania dollars invested in conservation initiatives, including the $154 million Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP),  Clean & Green tax incentives, $13 million in Resource Enhancement and Protection Farm Conservation Tax Credits, and historic levels of support for Pennsylvania farmers who are conserving and enhancing the clean water and healthy soil they need to be productive in the future.

Pennsylvania leads the nation in preserved farmland. 

Since 1988, when voters overwhelmingly supported creating the state’s Farmland Preservation Program, Pennsylvania has protected 6,422 farms and 641,908 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing more than $1.7 billion in state, county, and local funds.

The state partners with county, and sometimes local government and nonprofits to purchase development rights, 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.

Click Here for a list of farms preserved.

For more information on this program, visit Agriculture's Farmland Preservation Program webpage.

[Posted: August 13, 2024]  PA Environment Digest