Shapiro administration Invests in two Union County Farms
Apr. 13—HARRISBURG — The Shapiro administration invested in two Union County farms to protect them from future development.
The total investment is listed as $846,864, which consists of $432,220 from the state and $414,644 from the county. The farms are Criswell Acres LLC Farm, a 113-acre crop farm in Kelly Township; and the David L, Rachel Z., Allen Z., and Dorothy M. Reiff Farm, a 97-acre crop and livestock farm in Limestone Township.
The Shapiro administration announced this week that Pennsylvania will purchase development rights for 2,250 acres on 28 farms in 15 counties, forever protecting them from residential or commercial development. The farms, approved for conservation easement purchases by the State Agricultural Land Preservation Board, represent an $8.07 million investment to ensure that Pennsylvania farmers will have prime farmland to feed Pennsylvania families and economy in the future, according to the administration.
Pennsylvania leads the nation in preserved farmland. Since 1988, when voters overwhelmingly supported creation of the Farmland Preservation Program, Pennsylvania has protected 6,364 farms and 636,625 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing more than $1.7 billion in state, county, and local funds.
The state partners with county, and sometimes local government and nonprofits to purchase development rights, ensuring a strong future for farming and food security. By selling their land's development rights, farm owners ensure that their farms will remain productive farms and never be sold to developers.
— JUSTIN STRAWSER
