HARRISBURG – Additional acres of Bradford and Lycoming farmland will be preserved following this week’s approval of the purchase of conservation easements by the state Agricultural Land Preservation Board, according to state Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming).
Yaw said that nearly 260 acres of farmland in Leroy Township, Bradford County, will be preserved from non-agricultural development, and 94 acres of farmland in Cogan House Township, Lycoming County, will also be preserved.
“Pennsylvania’s rich agricultural heritage is something that must be protected and preserved for future generations,” Sen. Yaw said. “Working together, state and local leaders are helping strengthen our position as the nation’s leader in farmland preservation.”
The Pennsylvania farmland preservation program went into effect in 1988 and the first conservation easement was purchased in December 1989. Statewide 4,860 farms totaling 514,022 acres have been preserved since the program’s inception. In Bradford County, 13 farms consisting of 3,630 acres have been preserved; in Lycoming County, 75 farms consisting of 9,032 acres have been preserved; in Sullivan County, 7 farms consisting of 649 acres have been preserved; in Susquehanna County, 32 farms consisting of 6,312 acres have been preserved; and in Union County, 76 farms consisting of 7,943 acres have been preserved.
“The Commonwealth’s achievements have been remarkable examples of teamwork on the part of each county, the State Farmland Preservation Board and the Department of Agriculture,” Yaw added. “Pennsylvania is certainly setting the standard in farmland preservation.”
Sen. Yaw currently serves as a member of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee.
The Agricultural Land Preservation Board has 17 members. It is responsible for distributing funds in addition to monitoring county preservation programs.
For more information, contact:
Rita Zielonis
(717) 787-3280