HARRISBURG — The Shapiro administration announced on Aug. 25 that Pennsylvania preserved 2,645 acres on 35 farms in 18 counties, forever protecting them from future residential or commercial development. These preservation efforts represent an investment of $8.64 million in state, county and local dollars.
The newly preserved farms are in Adams, Allegheny, Beaver, Berks, Chester, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Erie, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Lycoming, Montgomery, Northampton, Union and York counties.
Pennsylvania leads the nation in preserved farmland. Since 1988, when voters overwhelmingly supported the creation of the Farmland Preservation Program, Pennsylvania has protected 6,266 farms and 628,967 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing nearly $1.68 billion in state, county and local funds.
Pennsylvania partners with county, and sometimes local governments and nonprofits, to purchase development rights to secure a strong future for farming and food security. By selling their land’s development rights, farm owners ensure that their farms will remain farms forever and not be sold to developers.
Farms preserved and total dollars invested, by county:
Adams County — $251,607
• Beatrice F. Waybright Farm #2, Cumberland Township, 71-acre crop farm
Allegheny County — $782,674
• The Robert H., Robert B., Jane S., Jillian R. Morrow and Rebecca and Anthony Mattarochia Farm, Plum Borough, 129-acre crop and livestock farm
Beaver County — $443,267
• Steffler Homestead Limited Partnership Farm, Franklin Township, 108-acre crop farm
Berks County — $377,351
• Alice A Deanin Farm, North Heidelberg Township, 31-acre crop &and livestock farm
• Roy and Ruthann Kunkel Farm #1, Albany Township, 32-acre crop farm
• Skyline Acres, Inc. Farm, Upper Bern Township, 65-acre crop farm
Chester County — $559,757
• Luke A. Allen Farm, Upper Oxford Township, 68-acre equine operation
• Kathleen M. Anderson Farm, Elk Township, 16-acre equine operation
• Neil J. and Alice E. DeBonaventura Farm, West Fallowfield Township, 40-acre crop and livestock farm
• Gail A Emerson Farm, West Fallowfield Township, 13-acre equine operation
Columbia County — $98,314
• Soil Bound LLC Farm, Franklin Township, 76-acre crop farm
Cumberland County — $847,626
• Jonathan W. Bream Farm #2, Penn Township, 14-acre crop farm
• Arlin D. and Karla D. Wadel Farm, Southampton Township, 113-acre poultry operation
• Weaver Farm, North Newton Township, 101-acre poultry operation
Dauphin County – $476,633
•Bruce and Carol Mattis Farm, Halifax Township, 124-acre crop and livestock farm
•The Henninger Family Irrevocable Trust, Michael W. & David H. Henninger and Joanne K. Rheem, Trustees, Washington Township, 145-acre crop farm
Erie County — $267,887
• Daniel J and Dolores D. Renick Farm #1, McKean Township, 132-acre crop and livestock farm
Lackawanna County — $264,606
William A. Dixon and Marissa A Opalka Farm, Benton Township, 115-acre crop farm
Lancaster County — $1.8 million
• John S. and Esther S. Beiler Farm, Colerain Township, 74-acre dairy farm
• Reuben Z. and Naomi S. Beiler Farm, Salisbury Township, 87-acre crop and livestock farm
• Victoria K. Graybeal Farm, Fulton Township, 103-acre crop farm
• William E. and Diane K. Hershey Farm #1, Little Britain Township, 118-acre dairy farm
• William E. and Diane K. Hershey Farm #2, Little Britain Township, 80-acre crop farm
• Randall C. and Maria R. Kreider Farm, Manor Township, 20-acre crop farm
Lebanon County — $509,778
• Dale E. and Pattie L. Maulfair Farm, Bethel Township, 201-acre crop farm
Lehigh County — $527,913
• Dominick Basciano and Jane B. Heft Farm, Upper Saucon Township, 27-acre crop farm
• Beth Ann Kramer Farm, Weisenberg Township, 41-acre crop and livestock farm
• Paul D. Nester Farm, Lynn Township, 14-acre crop farm
Lycoming County — $208,448
• Kevin P. and Angela Lynn Ganther Farm, Wolf Township, 93-acre crop farm
• Paul O. and Patricia P. Wentzler Farm, Muncy Township, 67-acre crop farm
Montgomery County — $208,318
• Ellen Renninger Farm #1, Douglass Township, 20-acre crop farm
Northampton County — $147,903
• Jason J. and Kelly Hankee Farm, Lehigh Township, 22-acre crop farm
Union County — $177,492
• Lucas, Melinda and Deborah Criswell #3 Farm, Kelly Township, 54-acre crop farm
York County — $701,603
Joel D. and Susan C. Deardorff Farm #1, Dover Township, 102-acre crop farm
David C. and Bettie J. Holloway Farm #1, Shrewsbury Township, 128-acre crop and livestock farm
