HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania recently preserved 2,553 acres on 30 farms in 21 counties, forever protecting them from residential or commercial development. This investment of more than $8.7 million brings the total during 2023 to nearly $46.3 million invested to purchase land development rights for 13,663 acres on 166 farms.
Pennsylvania partners with county, and sometimes local government and nonprofits, to purchase development rights, ensuring a strong future for farming and food security. By selling their land’s development rights, farm owners ensure that their farms will remain farms and never be sold to developers.
The newly preserved farms are in Berks, Butler, Chester, Crawford, Dauphin, Erie, Franklin, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Westmoreland and York counties.
Farms preserved in Pennsylvania and dollars invested are listed below, by county:
Adams County, $348,810 — Arentz Family #2 is a 60-acre crop farm in Union Township, and the Bruce Pohlman, and Son Hog Farm is a 43-acre crop farm in Union Township.
Berks County, $1 million — Jerry L. and Darlene A. Berk have an 89-acre crop farm in Albany Township, Dean E. and Darene B. Hartman have an 140-acre crop farm in Lower Heidelberg Township, and Elam G. Hoover has a 133-acre crop farm in Bern Township.
Blair County, $270,127 —James R. and Linda J. Negley have a 125-acre crop farm in Huston Township.
Bucks County, $143,500— TNT Groundworks has a 17-acre crop farm in Riegelsville Borough.
Chester County, $239,977 — Thomas W. Morelli, Jr. has a 42-acre crop farm in East Nantmeal Township.
Erie County, $165,051 — Shane L. and Judith A. Kosterman #1 have a 92-acre crop farm in Venango Township.
Franklin County, $271,066 — Donald and Denise Martin #1 have a 105-acre crop farm in Guilford Township.
Huntingdon County, $301,630 — Kristen N. and Kenneth E. Snyder Jr. have a 224-acre crop and livestock farm in Warriors Mark Township.
Lancaster County, $182,806 — Sandra J. Witmyer has a 43-acre crop farm in Warwick Township.
Lebanon County, $51,423 — Charles R. and Susan M. Zimmerman have a 20-acre crop farm in Jackson Township.
Lehigh County, $1.4 million — Russell E. and Susan L. Foster have a 130-acre crop farm in Weisenberg Township, Stanley A. and Carol A. George have a 64-acre crop farm in Weisenberg Township, Donald A. Haas has a 55-acre crop farm in Lowhill Township and Leslie H. Nonnemacher has a 21-acre crop farm in Upper Milford Township.
Lycoming County, $230,423 — Mountaintop Real Estate Holdings have a 98-acre crop farm in Cogan House Township, and Gary R. and Barbara A. Womelsdorf have a 81-acre crop and livestock farm in Moreland Township.
Mifflin County, there was a total investment of $230,099 — Steven R. and Juanita M. Byler have a 167-acre crop farm in Granville Township.
Montgomery County, $1.4 million — Andrew Dale and Tanya Joy Frankenfield have a 12-acre crop and livestock farm in Franconia Township.
Northampton County, $317,682 — Stacey and Clayton Stine III have a 42-acre crop farm in Upper Mount Bethel Township.
Union County, $464,958 — Luke W. and Ada Mae Hoover #2 is a 25-acre crop farm in Buffalo Township and Alan C. and Chrystal L. Kaler #1 is a 141-acre crop and livestock farm in Lewis Township.
Washington County, $244,893 — Charles E. Monticello #2 is a 97-acre crop and livestock farm in Cross Creek Township.
Wayne County, $145,542 — Charles J., Amy S. and Andrew Theobald have a 96-acre crop and livestock farm in Clinton Township.
Westmoreland County, $311,174 — Rosa Beth Snyder-Boyd and Kenneth H. Ofslager #2 have an 86-acre crop farm in South Huntingdon Township.
Wyoming County,$147,868 — Benjamin Zdandiewicz has a 68-acre dairy farm in Falls Township.
In York County, $722,708 — Daniel J. and Beth A. Innerst #2 have a 103-acre crop and livestock farm in Springfield Township, and Christopher G.F. and Megan E.F. Lighty #1 have a 138-acre crop farm in Windsor Township.
To learn more about Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program visit agriculture.pa.gov.
If they wanted to preserve the land, they would tear out the farm and return it to nature. The farm is developed land, and it’s not like natural wildlife can flourish in miles and miles of farmland without trees, streams, etc.