HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Board approved the investment of $18.6 million to preserve 4,934 acres of farmland in 17
counties, including two farms in Lancaster County — the first to be preserved under a unique county-and-nonprofit partnership.
“By investing in new partnerships and working together to protect valuable farmland, we are ensuring a strong future for production agriculture in
Pennsylvania,” said Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff. “As the state’s number one industry, every measure must be taken to keep agriculture growing for the benefit of our producers and consumers.”
Included in the preserved farms are the King family farms in Lancaster County; the first two county-and-nonprofit easement purchases between Lancaster County and the Lancaster Farmland Trust. Pennsylvania continues to lead the nation in the number of farms and acres preserved. Since the program began in 1988, 365,553 acres on 3,273 farms have been protected.
This year, Pennsylvania is allocating nearly $40 million for the preservation program, including $4 million from Growing Greener II, Gov. Edward G. Rendell’s initiative that supports environmental programs in the state. County programs will contribute $37 million in matching funds to protect quality farmland from development and non-agricultural uses. This $77 million in combined funds can preserve an estimated 38,500 acres or more than 300 farms.
The farms preserved are located in 17 counties: Adams, Allegheny, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Erie, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Northampton, Mifflin, Schuylkill, Somerset, Wayne and York. Currently, 57 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties are participating in the program.