Clearfield County Farmland Preservation Board Chairman Eric Fox has announced that the county’s Farmland Preservation Program has been re-certified for another 10 years, and is currently accepting applications for agricultural easement purchase consideration.
Applications will be accepted between Jan. 1 through April 30, 2024 and are available by contacting the Clearfield County Conservation District at 814-765-2629.
Only farms registered in a local municipal Agricultural Security Area are eligible to apply. Currently there are four participating municipalities (Brady Township, Chest Township, Goshen Township and Union Township). Municipalities may contact the Clearfield County Conservation District to inquire about becoming an ASA.
Agricultural Security Areas (ASA) are a tool for protecting farmland from nuisance ordinances that would interfere with normal farming activities as well as protection from eminent domain.
Farmland Preservation is a voluntary process in which a landowner willingly agrees to enter property into a permanent easement program that pays landowners to put their properties under a conservation easement in perpetuity.
In return for selling their development rights, the landowner receives a lump sum check at settlement. Preserved farmland is still private property with no right of public access.
The landowner may sell the farm, lease it, or pass it on to heirs. Since the program began in 1988, 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.
In 2019, Pennsylvania’s $81.5 billion agriculture sector supported 301,900 direct jobs and $14.5 billion in labor income. Agriculture supports 1 out of every 10 jobs in Pennsylvania. As for Clearfield County census data shows that we have close to 500 farms in Clearfield County.