Dept. Of Agriculture Invests $9.1 Million To Preserve 2,565 Acres Of Farmland On 34 Farms In 16 Counties

On August 21, the Department of Agriculture announced it is investing more than $9.1 million to purchase development rights for 2,565 acres on 34 farms in 16 counties. 

The investment will protect prime farmland from future residential or commercial development and help ensure that farm families have the fertile land they need to produce food, fiber, and fuel to feed our economy in the future.

The farms are located in Adams, Beaver, Bucks, Centre, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Lycoming, Northampton, Schuylkill, Tioga, and York counties.

“Pennsylvania leads the nation in farmland preservation because farm families, communities, and the Commonwealth are working together to protect the land that feeds us,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. 

“The families who committed to preserving their farms today show what that commitment looks like--  strengthening agricultural communities while protecting prime soil as a resource for farming. 

“The Shapiro Administration is proud to stand with Pennsylvania’s farm families, investing in the land together and building a stronger future for agriculture.”

Several farms approved for easement purchases today build on the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to protecting Pennsylvania’s farmland from future development. 

Preserving a second Lehigh County-owned farm increases the protected portion of a farm given to the county as a gift to the county, to 406 acres, or 90% of the donated land.

Preserving the 190-acre John and Cynthia Clouse Farm in Cumberland County will create a nearly 800-acre cluster of federally preserved farmland in a high-priority area of the Kittatinny Ridge Conservation Landscape.

In Schuylkill County, preserving the Musser family farm — the family’s second preserved parcel — creates a five-farm, 434-acre block of protected farmland, further saving the region from development.

Pennsylvania leads the nation in preserved farms. Since 1988, when voters statewide overwhelmingly supported creating the state’s Farmland Preservation Program, Pennsylvania has protected 6,759 farms and 669,854 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing more than $1.82 billion in state, county, and local funds.

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

Click Here for a list of farms preserved.

[Posted: August 24, 2026]  PA Environment Digest