Pennsylvania has preserved 35 farms in 18 counties, including several in the Lehigh Valley. The total of 2,645 acres of farmland is now protected from residential and commercial development.
The Farmland Preservation Program purchases development rights, which keeps land open and prohibits future use such as housing development, warehouses, or strip malls.
Three farms in Lehigh County were preserved, as well as one in Northampton County and three in Berks County. The Dominick Basciano and Jane B. Heft Farm in Upper Saucon Township is one of the farms that was preserved. The 27-acre crop farm will remain open for agricultural use.
"By preventing this farm and others in the county from disappearing, we are ensuring agriculture's continued economic role in the local and state economies," said Rep. Milou Mackenzie.
The program spent a total of $8.64 million on farmland preservation in this round. This includes $377,350 in Berks County, $559,757 in Chester County, $1.8 million in Lancaster County, $527,913 in Lehigh County, $208,318 in Montgomery County, and $147,902 in Northampton County.
The farms that were preserved in Berks, Lehigh, and Northampton counties. The full list is online.
• Alice A Deanin Farm in North Heidelberg Township (31 acres)
• Roy and Ruthann Kunkel Farm #1 in Albany Township (32 acres)
• Skyline Acres, Inc. Farm in Upper Bern Township (65 acres)
• Dominick Basciano and Jane B. Heft Farm in Upper Saucon Township (27 acres)
• Beth Ann Kramer Farm in Weisenberg Township (41 acres)
• Paul D. Nester Farm in Lynn Township (14 acres)
• Jason J. and Kelly Hankee Farm in Lehigh Township (22 acres)
Pennsylvania leads the nation in preserved farms with 6,266. Almost $1.7 billion has been spent on farmland preservation since 1988.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-sizsus
Categories: Pennsylvania, General