HARRISBURG, Dec. 15, 2011 — An additional 291 acres of Berks County farmland will be preserved through the purchase of conservation easements valued at $726,000 that were approved today by the Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board, according to state Sen. Judy Schwank, a Preservation Board member.
According to the senator, the following farms will be preserved:
Family Municipality Acres Preserved
Larry & Denise Grumbine Bethel Twp. 126.9
Terry & Sue Kunkel Albany Twp. 93.6
Rachel Theis Oley Twp. 69.9
Total: 290.4
“I’m proud to say that Berks County has preserved more acreage of farmland than any other county in the program,” Schwank said. “Agriculture is the economic engine here, and we are making significant contributions to the state’s economy, so it’s imperative that we continue to preserve our precious and fruitful farmlands.”
Statewide 4,229 farms totaling 457,537 acres have been preserved since the program’s inception. In Berks County, 634 farms consisting of 64,291 acres have been preserved.
The Agricultural Land Preservation Board is intended to permanently preserve large clusters of viable agricultural lands by acquiring agricultural conservation easements (ACE). An ACE prevents the development of the land for any purpose besides productive agriculture.
###