Harrisburg, April 21, 2011 – State Senator Judy Schwank announced today that an additional 158 acres of Berks County farmland will be preserved through the purchase of conservation easements valued at $394,000. The funding was approved today by the Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board.
“These funds are a significant lifeline to many family farms throughout Pennsylvania,” Schwank said. “By preserving this farmland, these families will be able to continue building on the success of their agriculture efforts.”
According to Senator Schwank, a Preservation Board member, the following farms will be preserved:
- Bethany Children’s Home in Heidelberg Township will have 113.5 acres of farmland preserved.
- Terry and Sue Kunkel in Albany Township will have 44.1 acres of farmland preserved.
Senator Schwank added that, in Berks County, 627 farms consisting of 63,716 acres have been preserved. Berks has preserved more acreage of farmland than any other county in the state program.
“There is a wide array of agricultural products being grown in Berks County and agribusiness is an economic and employment driver in the region,” Schwank said. “Conservation easements are investments that ensure that area farms continue to flourish.”
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. Statewide 4,157 farms totaling 450,525 acres have been preserved since the program’s inception.
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