Two СŷƵ farms, totaling 116 acres, will be preserved under a state investment program that protects them from future residential or commercial development.
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office announced Thursday that more than 3,187 acres on 29 farms in 17 counties were part of a $9.9 million investment in state, county and local funds.
“Pennsylvania has some of the most productive farmland in the nation,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “When that land is lost to development, we lose one of our most valuable economic assets. The Shapiro Administration continues to stand up for Pennsylvania’s farmers by supporting the contributions they have made to seal our reputation as a national leader, and by investing to protect and improve the resources they need tomorrow, and the innovations that will keep PA on top.”
The two Northampton County farms preserved in this round had a total investment of $791,610, including $639,4466 from the state and $152,164 from the county. They are:
- Linda S. and Ronald C. Audenried’s 24-acre crop farm in East Allen Township.
- Chad E. and Lori A. Bealer’s 92-acre crop farm in Moore Township.
The state partners with county and sometimes local governments and nonprofits to buy development rights. By selling development rights, property owners ensure that their properties will remain productive farms and never be sold to developers.
According to its website, Northampton County has a similar program that has preserved 251 farms covering more than 19,000 acres since 1989. Lehigh County also has a preservation program.
In the region, two Carbon County farms were included in the program with a total investment of $366,782 from the state and $342,975 from the county. They include Dennis A. Cutler Farm No. 3, a 35-acre crop and livestock farm in East Penn Township, and John E. Steele, executor of Louisa S. Steele estate farm, a 67-acre crop farm, in Mahoning Township.
Since 1988, Pennsylvania has protected 6,530 farms and 652,085 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing more than $1.7 billion in state, county and local funds.
Outside of the СŷƵ, farmland was also preserved in Adams, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Chester, Cumberland, Fayette, Franklin, Lawrence, Lebanon, Montgomery, Potter, Schuylkill and York counties.
