Pennsylvania Adds Nearly 50 Farms, More than 3,200 Acres to Preservation Program

HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania's Agricultural Land Preservation Board today safeguarded 3,246 additional acres on 45 farms in 19 counties through the state's nationally renowned farmland preservation program.

The board preserved farms in Adams, Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Clinton, Cumberland, Dauphin, Fulton, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Sullivan and Westmoreland counties.

Since the program began in 1988, state, county and local governments have invested more than $1.2 billion to preserve 478,246 acres on 4,471 farms in 57 counties for future agricultural production.

"It's a great day for our nation-leading farmland preservation program, made possible by producers who recognize the importance of keeping prime land in agriculture production," Agriculture Secretary George Greig said. "Their foresight is helping to keep Pennsylvania growing for generations to come."

In its 25th year, the Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program identifies properties and slows the loss of prime farmland to non-agricultural uses.

The program enables state, county and local governments to purchase conservation easements, also called development rights, from owners of quality farmland.

In some cases, the federal Farm and Ranchlands Protection Program provides additional assistance. Last fiscal year, Pennsylvania received a record $6.1 million in federal reimbursements.

For more information, visit www.agriculture.state.pa.us and search "farmland preservation."

Editor's Note: A list of the farms preserved follows:

Adams

• The Jean Arentz farm, a 106.60-acre crop farm

Allegheny

• The Daniel Miller farm, a 100.79-acre crop farm

Bucks

• The Edward, Ellen and Edward Atkinson farm, a 37.95-acre crop farm

Chester

• The Kenneth Groff farm, a 103.21-acre crop farm
• The Robert Holmes farm, a 115.05-acre crop and livestock operation

Clinton

• The Galen and Linda Donmoyer farm, a 109.61-acre crop farm

Cumberland

• The Floyd, Mary Jane and Ronald Lebo and Donna McKillip farm, a 37.69-acre crop farm
• The Mark Nealy farm, a 66.93-acre crop and livestock operation

Dauphin

• The Charles and Susan Braun farm, a 48.07-acre crop and livestock operation
• The Raymond P. and Violet E. Hartman farm #1, a 76.56-acre crop farm
• The Jay and Elta Nissley farm #1, a 91.80-acre crop farm
• The Jeremy A. Dobbin and Melinda P. Warfel farm, a 167.04-acre crop and livestock operation
• The Ricky E. and Linda L. Welker farm #1, a 53.88-acre crop and livestock operation
• The Earl Zartman farm #2, a 32.13-acre crop and livestock operation

Fulton

• The William Alexander farm #3, a 50-acre crop and livestock operation

Lackawanna

• The Rosemary and Richard Weise farm #2, a 13-acre crop farm
• The Jerry and Robin Chilewski farm, a 52-acre crop farm

Lancaster

• The Noah Kreider and Sons farm, a 96.34-acre crop farm
• Ridge View Ag Farm, a 48.40-acre crop and dairy operation
• The Reiter Family Trust Farm, a 103.72-acre crop farm
• The C. and M. Stoltzfoos farm, a 79.71-acre crop and dairy operation
• The Dean and Melissa Burkholder farm, a 59.01-acre crop and livestock operation
• Cedar Valley Farm, a 54.47-acre crop farm
• The W. Boyd and Joan Henderson farm #1, a 53.41-acre crop and livestock operation
• The W. Boyd and Joan Henderson farm #2, a 33.53-acre crop farm
• The Michael, Deborah and Barry Leininger farm, a 78.24-acre crop farm
• The Stephen and Mary Ann Mohr farm, a 66.36-acre crop farm

Lebanon

• The Frances Krall farm, a 27.14-acre crop farm

Luzerne

• The Irene Hildebrand farm, a 51.41-acre crop farm

Lycoming

• The Antes Estate #1, a 179.90-acre crop farm

Mercer

• The John and Pamela Moose farm #1, a 359-acre crop and livestock operation

Monroe

• The Dale and Linda Griggs farm, an 88.02-acre crop farm

Montgomery

• The Robert and Marianne Landis farm, a 34.38-acre crop farm
• The Ellen M. and Henry J. Stock Jr. and Martha Collins farm, a 46.02-acre crop farm
• The Chad and Julie Yoder farm #1, a 25.14-acre crop farm

Northampton

• The Karl Miller farm, a 20.13-acre crop farm
• The Bruce Predmore farm, a 49.44-acre crop and livestock operation
• The Scott Pysher farm, a 35.26-acre crop farm
• The John Bernick farm, 75.11-acre crop farm
• The Lorraine Holland farm, a 40.87-acre crop farm
• The Donald and Barbara Loock farm, a 58.33-acre crop farm
• The Craig and Stacey Newton farm, a 65.41-acre crop farm

Sullivan

• The Andrew and Tami Trostle farm, a 43.61-acre crop and livestock operation

Westmoreland

• The Mangini Family Limited Partnership Farm #1, a 100.30-acre crop farm
• The Eugene and Iva Saraceni Revocable Trust farm, a 63.44-acre crop farm

Media contact: Will Nichols, 717-787-5085

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

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