From Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Shapiro Administration\u00a0announced on Thursday, Dec. 11, that Pennsylvania is investing more than $6.9 million to purchase development rights for 2,354 acres on 27 farms in 13 counties, protecting them from future residential or commercial development. In 2025, Pennsylvania preserved 167 farms and 14,147 prime acres of farmland across the state, investing more than $50.1 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtecting farmland isn\u2019t just about preserving open space; it\u2019s about safeguarding the resources that feed and sustain all of us,\u201d\u00a0Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding\u00a0said. \u201cHigh-quality farmland is one of Pennsylvania\u2019s most valuable economic assets. Through the newly enacted 2025-26 budget, the\u00a0Shapiro Administration\u00a0is once again delivering real results for Pennsylvania agriculture, investing to protect our priceless land, water, and soil resources, supporting the next generation of farmers, and funding the innovation and infrastructure that will keep Pennsylvania\u2019s farms strong and competitive for decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since the\u00a0Shapiro Administration\u00a0began, Pennsylvania has invested nearly $147 million to preserve 499 new farms and 41,628 prime acres of farmland across the state.<\/p>\n
Through\u00a0Pennsylvania\u2019s Farmland Preservation Program<\/a>,\u00a0the state partners with local governments and nonprofits to purchase development rights to preserve farmland, ensuring a strong future for farming and food security. By selling development rights, farm owners ensure their farms remain in agricultural production and are never sold to developers.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania leads the nation in the number of preserved farms. Since 1988, when voters statewide overwhelmingly supported creating the state\u2019s Farmland Preservation Program, Pennsylvania has protected 6,648 farms and 661,035 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing more than $1.84 billion in state, county, and local funds.<\/p>\n Governor Josh Shapiro\u00a0recognizes that agriculture is not only part of Pennsylvania\u2019s heritage \u2014 it\u2019s essential to the Commonwealth\u2019s economic future. Nearly 49,000 farms contribute $132.5 billion to Pennsylvania\u2019s economy and support almost 600,000 jobs. That\u2019s why agriculture is one of five key industries prioritized in the Governor\u2019s 10-year\u00a0Economic Development Strategy<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 the first of its kind in more than two decades.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania\u2019s investments in easement purchases multiply the impact of dollars invested in conservation initiatives, including the\u00a0Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program<\/a>\u00a0(ACAP), which is changing the landscape of rural PA. More than 2,700 Pennsylvania farmers have sought financial and technical support from ACAP to improve their management practices and have a lasting impact not just on their farms but on the entire region\u2019s water and soil health. ACAP funding is reaching farmers across Pennsylvania who are eager to invest in the economic and environmental health of their farms.<\/p>\n Among the farms approved are two Adams County farms in Conewago Township that bring the total land Hanover Shoe Farms\u2019 owners have preserved to just over 3,100 acres. The Phillips family\u2019s farm in Codorus Township, York County, is the fourth preserved farm for the family, bringing their total preserved acres to 1,000. These investments \u2014 in an area where landowners face immense pressure from residential and commercial developers \u2014 will help ensure the future of agriculture in the southcentral part of the state.<\/p>\n Farms preserved at today\u2019s Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board Meeting are listed below by county, along with a breakdown of the total $6,987,284 invested:<\/p>\n Adams County\u00a0\u2013 Total investment \u2013 $1,426,707; state \u2013 $21,687; county \u2013 $1,405,020<\/p>\n Adams County Clean and Green 157-acre crop farm, Conewago TownshipHanover Shoe Farms Inc. #43, 93-acre crop farm, Conewago TownshipHanover Shoe Farms Inc. #44, 217-acre crop farm, Conewago Township<\/p>\n Berks County\u00a0\u2013 Total investment \u2013 $1,133,511; state \u2013 $767,159; county \u2013 $366,352<\/p>\n Geissler Tree Farms, 152-acre crop farm, Penn TownshipMarvin W. and Debra L. Reinert, 70-acre crop farm, District TownshipSteven G. and Denise J. Rentschler, 59-acre crop farm, Jefferson TownshipSaddle Road LLC, 95-acre crop farm, Greenwich Township<\/p>\n Butler County\u00a0\u2013 Total investment \u2013 $456,000; state \u2013 $416,297; county \u2013 $39,703<\/p>\n Meadow Grove Farm, 88-acre crop farm, Slippery Rock Township<\/p>\n Chester County\u00a0\u2013 Total investment \u2013 $587,264; state \u2013 $33,550; county \u2013 $511,074; Cheshire Land Preservation Fund \u2013 $42,640<\/p>\n Primitive Hall Foundation, 21-acre crop farm, West Marlborough TownshipSamuel and Barbara E. Townsend, 59-acre crop farm, West Nantmeal Township<\/p>\n Columbia County\u00a0\u2013 Total investment \u2013 $195,089; state \u2013 $148,538; county \u2013 $46,551<\/p>\n Gerald R. and Shirley D. Bodman, 155-acre beef farm, Main Township<\/p>\n Cumberland County\u00a0\u2013 Total investment \u2013 $296,517; state \u2013 $20,242; county \u2013 $276,274<\/p>\n Bonnie L. Asper, 32-acre crop farm, Southampton TownshipMary L. Dodrill Estate, 41-acre crop farm, Penn Township<\/p>\n Dauphin County\u00a0\u2013 Total investment \u2013 $767,023; state only<\/p>\n Jonathan Coble, 181-acre crop and livestock farm, Conewago TownshipTodd Shade, 91-acre crop farm, Mifflin Township<\/p>\n Lancaster County\u00a0\u2013 Total investment \u2013 $382,285; state \u2013 $96,055; county \u2013 $219,131; Manor Township \u2013 $37,670; Lancaster Farmland Trust \u2013 $29,429<\/p>\n Aaron J. and Rebecca K. Beiler, 24-acre crop farm, Colerain TownshipMarilyn Fuller #1, 20-acre crop farm, Little Britain TownshipMarilyn Fuller #2, 36-acre crop and livestock farm, Little Britain TownshipKeith Frey Properties LLC, 37-acre crop farm, Manor Township<\/p>\n Mercer County\u00a0\u2013 Total investment \u2013 $76,916; state only<\/p>\n Bruce W. and Joyce A. Woods, 79-acre crop & livestock farm, Fairview Township<\/p>\n Northampton County\u00a0\u2013 Total investment \u2013 $230,944; state \u2013 $17,131; county \u2013 $213,812<\/p>\n Kevin Brent, Denise M., and Brayden W. McEwen, 31-acre crop farm, Lower Mt. Bethel Township<\/p>\n Perry County\u00a0\u2013 Total investment \u2013 $9,348; state \u2013 $9,347; county \u2013 $1<\/p>\n Ann Miller and Amy M. and Thomas Herd, 204-acre crop farm, Spring Township<\/p>\n Union County\u00a0\u2013 Total investment \u2013 $228,621; state only<\/p>\n Joanna B. Hoover, 49-acre crop and livestock farm, East Buffalo TownshipKyle Anthony and Makayla Brynne Stoltzfus, 14-acre livestock farm, Kelly Township<\/p>\n York County\u00a0\u2013 Total investment \u2013 $1,197,059; state \u2013 $710,699; county \u2013 $486,360<\/p>\n Gene H. Burton Jr. and Carolene C. Burton, 94-acre crop and livestock farm, Codorus TownshipFlinchbaugh Farms, LP #4, 138-acre crop farm, Hopewell TownshipGeorge O. Phillips Jr. and Kristi Marie Snowden, 103-acre crop farm, Codorus Township<\/p>\n To learn more about\u00a0Pennsylvania\u2019s Farmland Preservation Program<\/a>\u00a0and investments in a secure, sustainable future for Pennsylvania, visit\u00a0agriculture.pa.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture The\u00a0Shapiro Administration\u00a0announced on Thursday, Dec. 11, that Pennsylvania is investing more than $6.9…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":61315,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[128,130,129],"class_list":{"0":"post-61314","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-reading","8":"tag-reading-city","9":"tag-reading-city-headlines","10":"tag-reading-city-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61314\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}