Pennsylvania Invests More Than $5.7 Million to Ensure That 24 Farms, 2,079 Acres of Prime Farmland in 14 Counties Stay Farms Forever

Since the Shapiro Administration began, Pennsylvania has invested more than $140 million to preserve 472 new farms and 39,273 prime acres of farmland across the state.

The State Agricultural Land Preservation Board approved easement purchases in Adams, Berks, Blair, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Mifflin, Perry, Westmoreland, and York counties.

 

Harrisburg, PA – The Shapiro Administration announced today that Pennsylvania is investing more than $5.7 million to purchase development rights for 2,079 acres on 24 farms in 14 counties. The joint investment between state and local government protects the farms forever from residential or commercial development, ensuring that Pennsylvania farmers will have the high-quality land they need to continue feeding our families and supporting our economy.

Since the Shapiro Administration began, Pennsylvania has invested more than $140 million to preserve 472 new farms and 39,273 prime acres of farmland across the state.

“When farms are sold to become warehouses or housing developments, they are gone forever, along with the food, fuel, and fiber they produced,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “High-quality farmland is one of Pennsylvania’s most valuable economic assets. The Shapiro Administration continues to stand up for Pennsylvania’s farmers, not just with words but with actions, investing to protect our priceless land, water, and soil resources, and fund the innovations that will keep Pennsylvania farmers competitive and sustain their farms tomorrow.”

 

Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposed budget recognizes that agriculture isn’t just part of Pennsylvania’s heritage – it’s key to our economic future. Nearly 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, Governor Shapiro introduced a 2025-26 budget in February proposing:
  • An additional $13 million in the historic Agricultural 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 funding transformative, state-of-the-art agricultural technologies across Pennsylvania today.
  • 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 investment in the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System to connect Pennsylvanians at risk of hunger with healthy, food produced by Pennsylvania farmers.
  • A $4 million increase to the State Food Purchase Program to support farmers and provide emergency food assistance for low-income Pennsylvanians.

Today’s approved easement purchases will 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. More than 2,000 Pennsylvania farmers have sought financial and technical support through ACAP to improve their management practices to have lasting impact not just on their farms, but on 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 the economic and environmental health of their farms.

Pennsylvania leads the nation in preserved farms. Since 1988, when voters statewide overwhelmingly supported creating the state’s Farmland Preservation Program, Pennsylvania has protected 6,621 farms and 658,681 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing more than $1.78 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.

As a realtor, Patricia L. Stewart, longtime owner of a Lehigh County farm approved for preservation today is acutely aware of the pressure to sell to developers in the area. Through the support of the state, Lehigh County, and North Whitehall Township, she is now able to protect her 67-acre farm to continue producing crops to feed future generations.

Farms preserved at today’s PA Agricultural Land Preservation Board Meeting are listed below by county, along with a breakdown of the total $5,710,173 invested:

Adams County – Total investment - $725,094; state only

David R. & Fabienne B. Gladfelter, Trustees of the Gladfelter Family Irrevocable Trust, 102-acre crop farm, Mount Pleasant Township

Trotalong LLC, 132-acre crop farm, Conewago Township

Berks County – Total investment - $742,506; state - $708,458; county - $34,048

Robert and Cynthia Batdorf, 52-acre crop farm, Penn and Centre Townships

Marty and Sherry K. Buck, 49-acre crop farm, Maidencreek Township

Timothy M. and Cathy S. Hartranft and Cynthia L. Luckenbill, 108-acre crop farm, Richmond and Maxatawny Townships

Richard M. and Janet M. Schlegel, 32-acre crop farm, Oley Township

Blair County – Total investment - $497,966; state - $352,966; county - $145,000

Biddle Family Partnership, 236-acre crop and livestock farm, Woodbury Township

Chester County – Total investment - $196,159; state - $15,509; county - $180,650

Gaye A. Bergstrom, 20-acre equine farm, Upper Oxford and West Fallowfield Townships

Louise W. Hendriks, 19-acre equine farm, East Marlborough Township

Cumberland County – Total investment - $187,147; state – $4,640; county - $182,507

Lillie A. and Daniel L. Foster, 103-acre crop and livestock farm, Lower Frankford Township

Dauphin County – Total investment - $293,057; state - $251,944; county - $41,113

Robert N. and Marian B. Miller, 88-acre crop farm, Upper Paxton Township

Timothy M. and Tammy Wentzel #3, 35-acre crop farm, Jefferson Township

Franklin County – Total investment - $294,280; state - $9,830; county - $284,450

Daniel G. and Amy R. Hershberger, 113-acre crop & livestock farm, Peters Township

Lancaster County – Total investment - $428,116; state - $34,149; county - $348,967; Warwick Township - $45,000

Gerhart Trust, 74-acre crop farm, Warwick Township

James N. and Sandra L. Sensenig #2, 39-acre crop and livestock farm, Fulton and Little Britain Townships

Lebanon County – Total investment - $909,031; state - $514,528; county - $394,503

Harold K. Eisenhauer Jr. and Dawn L. Eisenhauer, 61-acre crop and livestock farm, Swatara Township

Kenneth L. and Carol A. Hebel, 74-acre crop and livestock farm, East Hanover Township

Mark D. and Sandra K. Meyer, 36-acre crop and livestock farm, North Londonderry Township

Timothy P. and Debra Jo Trayer, 183-acre crop farm, South Londonderry Township

Lehigh County – Total investment - $569,346; state - $414,602; county - $5,000; North Whitehall Township - $149,744

Patricia L. Stewart, 67-acre crop farm, North Whitehall Township

Mifflin County – Total investment - $143,451; state - $90,785; county - $52,666

Jeffrey A. and Melody A. Ranck, 101-acre crop farm, Bratton Township

Perry County – Total investment - $8,903; state - $8,902; county - $1

Ann H. and Robert Leroy Miller #2, 138-acre crop farm, Spring Township

Westmoreland County – Total investment - $303,338; state only

George A. Boytim, Jr. and Lisa M. Boytim, 75-acre equine farm, Mount Pleasant Township

York County – Total investment - $411,778; state only

Alan B. Bowersox and Belinda Tiner, Trustees of the Bowersox Family Trust #1, 133-acre crop farm, Heidelberg 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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Department of Agriculture Media Contacts

Ashley Fehr

Communications Director 717-803-1452
Department of Agriculture Media

Shannon Powers

Press Secretary 717-603-2056
Department of Agriculture Media