HARRISBURG, Dec. 10, 2015 – Pennsylvania’s farmland preservation program approved the entry of three Berks County farms today, bringing the number of local tracts protected from future development to 700, state Sen. Judy Schwank said today.
“Berks County loves its farms and ag-related industries, and protecting our 700th farm is significant and praise-worthy,” Sen. Schwank, a member of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board, said following the panel’s approval of today’s applications. “My thanks to the owners of these three farms for recognizing their role in agriculture and acting to make sure their land will continue to produce delicious food for years to come.
The three farms added to the farmland preservation program received total ag easements of about $266,000. They include:
- John T. Bicksler, Tulpehocken Township, 15.3 acres
- Daniel and Melanie Hetrick, Upper Bern Township, 50 acres, and
- Hoppes, Kehl and Reinert families, Oley Township, 41.2 acres
Berks County now has 700 farms – and 69,468 acres – in the state’s farmland preservation program. Berks County has preserved more acreage of farmland than any other county in the program.
Since the farmland preservation program started in 1988, the commonwealth has protected 4,892 farms totaling 516,417 acres with nearly $1.29 billion in easements.
The long-term goal of the state’s program is to permanently preserve farmland. The holders of the easements have the right to prevent development or improvements of the land for purposes other than agricultural production.
For more information on PA’s farmland preservation program, visit the Bureau of Farmland Preservation’s website.
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