2,654 prime farmland acres preserved in Adams, Armstrong, Berks, Cumberland, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Lycoming, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Susquehanna, Washington, York counties
Harrisburg, PA – The Shapiro Administration announced today that Pennsylvania is investing more than $9.9 million to purchase development rights for 2,654 acres on 30 farms in 14 counties, protecting them from future residential or commercial development. These conservation easement purchases ensure that Pennsylvania farmers will have the quality land they need to continue supporting families, communities, and jobs in the future.
“Pennsylvania is a great place to do business,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “Our location near ports, interstates, railways, and 40 percent of the U.S. population means farmers face fierce competition from developers seeking to buy their land. Saving fertile farmland for producing food, rather than losing it to warehouses and suburban sprawl is a critical investment the Shapiro Administration is making along with farm families and county and local governments to feed our families, and our economy, and our future together.”
These easement purchases multiply the impact of Pennsylvania dollars invested in conservation initiatives, including the $154 million Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP), Clean & Green tax incentives, $13 million in Resource Enhancement and Protection tax credits, and historic levels of support for Pennsylvania farmers who are conserving and enhancing the clean water and healthy soil they need to be productive in the future.
Governor Josh Shapiro’s bipartisan 2024-25 budget includes new investments in agriculture innovation and conservation to keep Pennsylvania a national leader, including a new $10 million Agriculture Innovation and Conservation Fund, plus $35 million in new dollars for ACAP, and another $5 million for the Nutrient Management fund.
Pennsylvania leads the nation in preserved farmland. Since 1988, when voters overwhelmingly supported creating the state’s Farmland Preservation Program, Pennsylvania has protected 6,422 farms and 641,908 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.
Farms preserved this month, by county, along with a breakdown of the total $9,939,980 invested are as follows:
Adams County – Total investment – $403,419; state – $329,881; county – $19,612; Union Township – $53,925
Arentz Family #3, 72-acre crop farm, Union Township
Clay D. and Judith A. Roche, 15-acre crop farm, Hamilton Township
John E. Sanders 28-acre crop farm, Mount Pleasant Township
Armstrong County – Total investment – $246,440; state – $224,165; county – $22,275
Clayholm Farms #3, 123-acre crop and livestock farm, West Franklin Township
Berks County – Total investment – $699,312; state – $568,285; county – $131,027
Geiger Family, 84-acre crop farm, Ontelaunee Township
Debra A. Gingrich, Sarah Gingrich and Christy M. Yohn, 117-acre crop farm, Bethel Township
Christopher and Lisa C. Teprovich 46-acre crop farm, Centre Township
Cumberland County – Total investment – $1,462,961, state – $812,961, county – $650,000
Gertrude M. and Brian E. Hair, 75-acre crop and livestock farm, South Newton Township
David C., Rachel J., and Rebecca K. Hershberger,122-acre crop and livestock farm, Hopewell Township
Paul E. & Harry G. Hoch #4, 79-acre crop farm, Southampton Township
Loren B. & Brenda N. Newswanger, 143-acre crop and livestock farm, Dickinson Township
Lackawanna County – Total investment – $101,885 state only
Brianna M. and Thomas J. Nichols, Jr. #1, 40-acre crop farm, Greenfield Township
Lancaster County – Total investment – $2,589,500, state — $2,050,051, county — $539,449
Pattye Y. Barley, 60-acre crop farm, Manor Township
Glenn C. and Helen M. Hershey, 83-acre crop farm, Leacock Township
Gregory D. and Lafaye H. Musser, 75-acre crop farm, Penn Township
Christian L. and L. Ruthy Petersheim, 94-acre crop farm, Salisbury Township
Red Knob Farm, 112-acre crop farm, Fulton Township
Joel H. & Irene W. Rutt, 150-acre crop and livestock farm, Rapho Township
Ruby S. and David R. Stoltzfus, Jr., 78-acre crop farm, Salisbury Township
Lehigh County – Total investment – $403,444, state – $206,406, county – $189,330, townships – $7,708
Alan P. and Donna M. Behnke, 20-acre crop farm, Lower Milford Township
Matthew J. Urffer and Jessica J. Bales, 43-acre crop farm, Lower Milford Township
Lycoming County – Total investment – $135,926; state – $127,988; county – $7,939
Wayne E., Ruth H., James A., and Linda Vandine, 106-acre crop farm, Moreland Township
Monroe County – Total investment – $193,679 state only
Esther Mager Vasil, 31-acre crop farm, Eldred Township
Montgomery County – Total investment – $1,713,431; state – $1,681,261; county – $32,170
Todd R. and Jeanette L. Baringer #1, 18-acre livestock farm, Upper Hanover Township
Freeds Partnership #1, 66-acre crop farm, New Hanover Township
Northampton County – Total investment – $434,999, state – $196,489, county – $238,510
358 Menahan Street, 56-acre crop farm, Lower Mount Bethel Township
Charles B., Natalie J., and Zachary B. Rush, 48-acre crop farm, Moore Township
Susquehanna County – Total investment – $417,944; state – $285,658; county – $132,286
Philip S. and Michele K. DePue, 264-acre crop and livestock farm, Franklin Township
Washington County – Total investment – $557,846, state — $454,762, county — $103,084
L. Putnam and Betty Foley,181-acre crop and livestock farm, Robinson Township
York County – Total investment – $579,194; state – $6,900; county – $572,294
Z&Z Farms #1, 225-acre crop and livestock farm, Dover Township
To learn more about Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program and investments in a secure, sustainable future for Pennsylvania, visit agriculture.pa.gov.
Learn how Governor Josh Shapiro’s Economic Development Strategy recognizes agriculture as key to our future economic success, and find more investments in a strong future for Pennsylvania agriculture at shapirobudget.pa.gov.
