Farms were preserved in Berks, Blair, Bucks, Chester, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lehigh, Snyder, Tioga, Union and York counties.
Click Here for a list of farms preserved.
In 2024, Pennsylvania preserved 167 new farms and 13,847 prime acres of farmland across the state, investing more than $50.6 million.
These joint investments by state and local governments ensure that Pennsylvania farmers will have the prime-quality land they need to continue supporting families, communities, and jobs.
“Saving farmland for producing food, rather than losing it to warehouses and sprawl is an investment we can’t afford not to make,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “Farmers face fierce competition from developers seeking to buy their land. The Shapiro Administration is committed to joining farm families and county and local government to protect our valuable land as an investment that will feed our families and economy 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 6,482 farms and 646,754 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.
Visit Agriculture’s Farmland Preservation webpage to learn more about this program.
NewsClips:
-- MCall: 3 More Lehigh Valley Farms Saved From Development
[Posted: December 27, 2024] PA Environment Digest
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