What This Means for You
- Twenty-five farms totaling 1,905 acres are now permanently protected from housing or commercial development.
- The state invested nearly $7.1 million to purchase development rights from farm owners.
- Preserved farms must remain in agricultural production, supporting long-term food supply and rural economies.
HARRISBURG, PA — Twenty-five farms across 17 Pennsylvania counties will remain farmland permanently after the state invested nearly $7.1 million to purchase their development rights, preventing future residential or commercial construction on 1,905 acres.
The funding, approved through the Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board, allows farm owners to sell their development rights to the state while retaining ownership of their land. Purchasing development rights means the land can no longer be sold to developers and must remain in agricultural use.
How Farmland Preservation Works
Through Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program, the state partners with counties and, in some cases, municipalities to buy conservation easements. A conservation easement is a legal agreement that restricts certain types of development to protect land for specific purposes — in this case, farming.
According to the Department of Agriculture, this ensures prime agricultural land remains available for food production and supports long-term food security.
In 2025 alone, the state preserved 167 farms totaling 14,147 acres, investing more than $50.1 million in joint state and local funding.
Since the program’s creation in 1988 — following voter approval statewide — Pennsylvania has preserved 6,673 farms and 662,940 acres in 58 counties, with more than $1.84 billion invested through state, county, and local sources.
Economic Context
State officials report that nearly 49,000 farms contribute $132.5 billion annually to Pennsylvania’s economy and support almost 600,000 jobs.
Agriculture is identified as one of five priority industries in the Governor’s 10-year Economic Development Strategy.
Officials also said farmland preservation investments complement conservation initiatives such as the Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program, which provides financial and technical support to farmers seeking to improve water and soil management practices. According to the state, 165 projects totaling $25 million under that program are located on preserved farms.
Federal and Regional Partnerships
Two of the newly preserved farms leveraged federal conservation programs that reimburse the state for part of the easement cost.
The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program and the Kittatinny Ridge Regional Conservation Partnership Program provide federal funding that can be reinvested to preserve additional farms.
The Kittatinny Ridge area was designated a Sentinel Landscape in 2024, a federal recognition for regions that combine agricultural, environmental, and national security priorities. Sentinel Landscape designation highlights areas important for wildlife migration and water quality while supporting working lands.
County-by-County Investments
The $7,084,937 investment was distributed among farms in 17 counties, including:
- Lehigh County, which received the largest total investment at $1,655,712 across three farms.
- Lebanon County, with $846,661 invested across three farms.
- Northampton County, with $843,740 across two farms.
- Cumberland County, with $640,084 across two farms.
Several counties received state-only funding, while others included county and municipal contributions.
Individual preserved farms ranged from 23 acres in Northampton County to 151 acres in Lebanon County.
Next Steps
Once recorded, the conservation easements permanently restrict development on the protected land. Farms remain privately owned and operational but cannot be converted to housing subdivisions or commercial projects.
State officials indicated that additional farms remain on county waiting lists for preservation funding, with future approvals dependent on available budget allocations and matching local funds.