On December 12, Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Land Preservation Board safeguarded 2,763 additional acres on 30 farms in 16 counties through the state’s nation-leading farmland preservation program. The state board, in partnership with county boards, ended the year by preserving 210 farms (17,817 acres)–the highest number of farms in a decade. “This collaboration of state, read more
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December
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October
2,115 Acres of Farmland Preserved
The farms protected at Thursday’s meeting of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board represent targeted investments in the future of farming, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “Pennsylvanians share a connection to our farmland—we reaffirmed that commitment 30 years ago with the creation of a state farmland preservation program, and through state read more
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October
DHC Protects Foster Hill Farm; Seeking Conservation Buyer
Foster Hill Farm, the former Milford home of local businessman and philanthropist Dick Snyder, has been transferred to the Delaware Highlands Conservancy and permanently protected with a conservation easement. A conservation easement permanently protects a property’s natural values while the landowner continues to own and manage the land, subject to the permitted uses read more
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September
LCAC Protects 17 Acres of Family Woodland
Some preservation projects undertaken by the Land Conservancy of Adams County are more impactful than their acreage might suggest. A recent project preserving just 17 acres of woodland in Huntington Township is one example. The Sauble and Weaver families work their land together as a partnership. Together, they donated an easement to the Land Conservancy on a 17-acre patch read more
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August
Heritage Conservancy Protects Beloved Maximuck Farm
When it comes to Bucks County’s most iconic properties, there are few as beloved as Maximuck’s Farm Market in Buckingham Township. Located in a prime spot at the corner of Long Lane and Street Road, the expansive 102-acre property has been family owned and operated for more than six decades. Created through the dedication, vision, and hard work of Walt and Sally (Tanner) read more
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August
Land Conservancy of Adams County Preserves 144-Acre Farm
Towards the end of July, the Land Conservancy of Adams County finalized a conservation easement on Jeff and Deborah Seibert's 144-acre farm in Hamilton Township. The farm was preserved through a partnership with NRCS and the Adams County Green Space Grant Program, and brings the Conservancy's total preserved acreage to 11,299. For Jeff and Deborah Seibert, the decision to read more
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July
French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust Preserves Family Farm
French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust recently permanently preserved the Thompson Farm in Charlestown Township, Chester County. In 1960, Jim and Mary Jo Thompson bought 450 acres, and in July, 2019 the Thompsons placed an easement on 23 acres of the property to ensure its protection forever. The property borders another preserved property and encompasses hillsides read more
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July
Lebanon Valley Conservancy Preserves 172 Acres of Farmland
The Lebanon Valley Conservancy (TLVC) has announced the preservation of 172 acres of land in the Lebanon Valley, located along the Kittatinny Ridge. This valuable agricultural land has been preserved through a grant of conservation easement, in partnership with the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation. The preserved land includes 71.75 acres of the Nye farm and just over 100 read more
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June
Ag Land Preservation Board Preserves 47 More Farms, Bringing Total to 5,540
On June 13, Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Land Preservation Board announced the preservation of 47 farms across Pennsylvania. “Preserving farmland is a team effort among diverse groups united in our effort to spare the state’s best agricultural soils from development,” said Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “Together we help farmers to take an important read more
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June
Delaware Highlands Conservancy to Preserve Foster Hill Farm
Foster Hill Farm, the former Milford home of local philanthropist and business owner Dick Snyder, has been bequeathed to the Delaware Highlands Conservancy (DHC). The farm will soon be transferred to the Conservancy and will be placed under conservation easement. In his typical altruistic spirit, Mr. Snyder made the Conservancy the beneficiary of Foster Hill Farm knowing that read more
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June
LCAC Preserves 142-Acre Farm Near Gettysburg Battlefield
Ask Barb Wolf about farming, and she goes directly to the heart of the matter: “It’s what we do, and who we are.” The Wolf family has been farming their 142 acres in Cumberland Township for 98 years, and three generations. Phil and Barb are full-time farmers, and they can’t imagine a future in which their hay and wheat fields are paved over to make room for a housing read more
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May
Land Conservancy of Adams County Preserves 17 Acres of Woodland
The Land Conservancy of Adams County's (LCAC) most recent acquisition preserved 17 acres of woodland in Huntington Township, but is part of a much larger project. The wooded easement donated to LCAC by the Sauble and Weaver families is surrounded on both sides by farmland that was simultaneously preserved through the Adams County Farmland Preservation Program. The county's read more
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April
Pennsylvania Continues to Lead Nation, Adds 31 Farms to Nearly 6,000 Permanently Preserved
At its April meeting, Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Land Preservation Board safeguarded 3,134 additional acres on 31 farms in 17 counties through the state’s nation-leading farmland preservation program. The board preserved 31 farms covering 3,134 acres across 17 counties: Adams, Berks, Blair, Centre, Chester, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lackawanna, read more
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April
Land Conservancy of Adams County Protects 80-Acre Farm
Working in partnership with Hamilton Township landowner Don Stabler, the Land Conservancy of Adams County has placed 80.16 acres of farmland under a conservation easement, ensuring the land will remain undeveloped in perpetuity, in accordance with the landowner’s wishes. When Don Stabler received his parents’ farm last year, he knew he wanted to read more
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March
WPC Seeking Qualified Farmers to Lease Preserved Farmland
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) is now accepting proposals for two agricultural leases at 218 Uber Road, Findley Township, Mercer County. WPC acquired the farm in December 2018 as part of the WPC Farmland Access Program, which seeks to lease farms at affordable rates to farmers producing food for the Pittsburgh region. WPC's goal is to balance sustainable read more
