HARRISBURG, Oct. 11, 2012 — An additional 92.9 acres of Berks County farmland will be preserved through the purchase of conservation easements valued at $232,250 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
Rebman-Reed Tulpehocken Twp. 92.9
“Farmland preservation is a crucial way to protect our agricultural industry while supporting our local farming families and all their hard work,” Schwank said. “I’m pleased that we are once again preserving hundreds more acres of land solely for farming use.”
Statewide, 4,342 farms totaling 468,091 acres have been preserved since the program’s inception. In Berks County, 643 farms consisting of 64,950 acres have been preserved. Berks County has preserved more acreage of farmland than any other county in the state program.
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.
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