Farms were permanently preserved in Adams, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Carbon, Chester, Cumberland, Fayette, Franklin, Lawrence, Lebanon, Mercer, Montgomery, Northampton, Potter, Schuylkill, and York counties.
Harrisburg, PA – The Shapiro Administration announced today that Pennsylvania is investing nearly $12 million to purchase development rights for 3,187 acres on 29 farms in 17 counties, protecting them from future residential or commercial development. These joint investments by state and local government ensure that Pennsylvania farmers will have the prime-quality land they need to continue feeding our families and supporting jobs and communities in the future. Since the Shapiro Administration began, Pennsylvania has preserved 380 new farms and 32,505 prime acres of farmland across the state.
“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.”
Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposed budget recognizes that agriculture isn’t just part of our rich heritage in Pennsylvania – it’s key to our future. Fifty thousand farms across Pennsylvania contribute $132.5 billion to our economy and support almost 600,000 jobs, making agriculture a key driver of Pennsylvania’s economy.
To continue Pennsylvania’s national legacy as an agriculture leader, the Governor’s 2025-26 budget proposes:
- ·An additional $13 million in the historic Ag Innovation Grant to help build the future of American agriculture right here in Pennsylvania. In its first open application period, the Ag Innovation Grant was oversubscribed by nearly $60 million and received 159 applications for nearly $70 million worth of innovation projects. In February, Governor Shapiro announced investments in 88 ag businesses in 46 Pennsylvania counties, which are even today funding transformative investments in state-of-the-art agricultural technologies.
- Investing $2 million to keep Pennsylvania’s new animal diagnostic laboratory in the western part of the state operational, providing critical testing services for farmers to ensure their livestock remain healthy and viable for continued farming operations.
- An additional $4 million to connect Pennsylvanians at risk of hunger with healthy, local food through the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System.
- A $4 million increase to the State Food Purchase Program to provide emergency food assistance for low-income Pennsylvanians.
Today’s approved easement purchases multiply the impact of Pennsylvania dollars invested in conservation initiatives, including the Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP), which is changing the landscape of rural PA. Nearly 2,000 farmers statewide have sought financial and technical support through ACAP to improve their management practices to have lasting impact on not just their farms, but the entire region’s water and soil health. Increased funding for ACAP is reaching farmers across Pennsylvania who are eager for help funding their investments in sustainability.
In 2023 and 2024, Pennsylvania preserved 332 new farms and 27,481 prime acres of farmland across the state, investing more than $96.6 million. Pennsylvania continues to lead the nation in preserved farmland. Since 1988, when voters overwhelmingly supported creating the state’s Farmland Preservation Program, Pennsylvania has protected 6,530 farms and 652,085 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing nearly $1.76 billion in state, county, and local funds.
The state partners with local governments and nonprofits to purchase development rights for preservation, 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. The 600-acre Holl Farm — Cumberland County’s largest preserved farm to date — will leverage federal dollars to preserve farms on the county’s wait list by virtue of participating in the federal government’s easement program in 2024.
Farms preserved at today’s PA Land Preservation Board Meeting are listed below by county, along with a breakdown of the total $12,149,422 invested:
Adams County – Total investment – $691,866; state - $624,258; county - $67,608
Diane G. and Ronald I. Resh Farm #3, 50-acre crop farm, Huntington Township
Ervin L. and Audrey M. Ridinger Farm, 179-acre crop farm, Butler Township
Beaver County – Total investment - $448,600; state - $229,700; county - $218,900
Curtis C. and Calvin C. Steffler Farm, 109-acre crop and livestock farm, Franklin Township
Butler County – Total investment - $358,011; state - $341,086; county - $16,925
Hinch-Smith Family Farm Limited Partnership, 141.04-acre crop farm, Butler Township
Cambria County – Total investment - $162,177; state - $152,177; county - $10,000
Skebeck Farms, 120-acre crop farm, Clearfield and Chest Townships
Carbon County – Total investment - $709,737; state - $366,762; county - $342,975
Dennis A. Cunfer Farm #3, 35-acre crop and livestock farm, East Penn Township
John E. Steele, Jr., Executor of Louisa S. Steel Estate Farm, 67-acre crop farm, Mahoning Top
Chester County – Total investment - $2,244,622; state - $1,986,353; county - $258,269
Arthur D. and Joyce E. Hershey Farm, 24-acre crop and livestock farm, West Fallowfield Township
John Frazier Hunt and Myrtrice Penelope McCaskill Farm, 121-acre crop and livestock farm, East Vincent Township
Lawrence P. and Helen A. Johnson Farm, 28-acre crop farm, Upper Oxford and West Fallowfield Townships
Michael R. and Heliett C. Sanchez Farm, 168-acre crop farm, Highland Township
Cumberland County – Total investment - $2,319,992; state only
Gordon and Amy Holl Farm, 600-acre crop farm, Lower Mifflin and Upper Frankford Townships.
Fayette County – Total investment - $349,258; state only
Stephen R. and Debra S. Kooser Farm #1, 196-acre crop and livestock farm, Springfield Township
Franklin County – Total investment - $258,223; state - $91,847; county - $166,376
Jeffrey Scott and Tracy Lynn Grove Farm, 58-acre crop farm, Peters Township
Paul E. Witter Farm #2, 42-acre crop farm, Southampton Township
Lawrence County – Total investment - $220,428; state - $182,815; county - $37,613
Glenn W. Croft Farm 150-acre crop farm, Washington Township
Lebanon County – Total investment - $386,660; state - $287,138; county - $99,522
Kevin B. and Lauren C. Snader Farm, 153-acre poultry farm, Bethel Township
Mercer County – Total investment - $132,505; state - $116,335; county - $16,170
Mark S. and Carol A. Hackett; Mark S., Jr. and Adrienne B. Hackett; and Matthew E. and Amy Beth Hackett Farm, 121-acre crop farm, Coolspring Township
Montgomery County – Total investment - $1,289,714; state - $584,866; county - $704,848
Kirk Grater Farm #1, 40-acre crop farm, Lower Frederick Township
Gwinn G. Kent Farm #1, 19-acre equine farm, Upper Frederick Township
Paul and Jacquelyn P. Wagner Farm, 84-acre crop farm, Upper Frederick Township
Northampton County – Total investment - $791,610; state - $639,446; county - $152,164
Linda S. and Ronald C. Audenried Farm, 24-acre crop farm, East Allen Township
Chad E. and Lori A. Bealer Farm, 92-acre crop farm, Moore Township
Potter County – Total investment - $114,783; state - $109,783; county $5,000
Michael J. and Shirley A. Thompson Farm, 85-acre beef farm, Bingham Township
Schuylkill County – Total investment - $372,340; state - $242,340; county - $130,000
Masser Farms Realty Farm #1, 96-acre crop farm, Hubley Township
Angela and Josiah Meck Farm #1, 81-acre crop and livestock farm, South Manheim Township
York County – Total investment - $1,080,421; state - $1,028,743; county - $51,678
Maple Spring Farms Partnership Farm #5, 15-acre crop farm, Lower Chanceford Township
Maple Spring Farms Partnership Farm #6, 134-acre crop farm, Chanceford Township
Shane K. and Kristi L. Taylor Farm #1, 155-acre crop farm, Lower Chanceford 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. Read more about commonsense investments to keep Pennsylvania agriculture competitive and thriving in Governor Josh Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget proposal at shapirobudget.pa.gov.
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