Franklin County Preserves 20,000 Acres of Farmland

By Blake Jackson

Franklin County officials, in partnership with the Franklin County Agricultural Land Preservation Board, Franklin County Farm Bureau, and state and local leaders, recently celebrated the preservation of 20,000 acres of farmland, marking a significant achievement in protecting prime agricultural land from non-agricultural development.

“The milestone we celebrate today is thanks to the foresight and dedication of many boards of commissioners along with the advocacy of our leaders at the state and federal levels, the support of our municipalities, and, of course, our ag community,” said Franklin County Commissioner Chairman Dean Horst.

“We are grateful to the farmers who put their trust in us and for being important partners in this process. More importantly, we thank them for making a commitment to preserving Franklin County’s valuable farmland and ag heritage.”

The county’s 20,000th acre was preserved earlier this year through the purchase of a 114-acre agricultural easement in Peters Township, owned by Daniel and Amy Hershberger.

This farm became the 164th property protected since Franklin County joined Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program in 1990. To date, the county has preserved 170 farms totaling more than 20,600 acres.

“In a time when more and more farmland is being turned into warehouses or covered in solar panels, reaching this 20,000-acre milestone is a powerful reminder that our county has chosen a path that also protects agriculture, supports family farms, and ensures future generations have the chance to farm this land too,” said Jeff Grove, chairman of the Franklin County Agricultural Land Preservation Board.

The celebration took place at Creekside Dairy in Hamilton Township during the Franklin County Farm Bureau’s annual Franklin Fall Farm Fun Fest.

The event highlights agriculture’s role in the community, with Franklin County ranking fifth in the state for total annual agricultural cash receipts, leading in vegetables, melons, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, and ranking highly in milk, grains, fruits, and livestock production.

“Programs like the Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program are critical because they allow counties like ours to leverage taxpayer dollars to the maximum extent to protect the farmland that makes Franklin County what it is,” Horst said.

Since 1990, the county, state, and local municipalities have invested more than $45 million in farmland preservation, contributing to Pennsylvania’s leadership in permanently protected farms nationwide.

Photo Credit: istock-alenamozhjer