HARRISBURG, Pa. — Another Lehigh Valley farm has been preserved as part of a $5.7 million statewide effort to ward off development and protect open spaces.
“When farms are sold to become warehouses or housing developments, they are gone forever, along with the food, fuel and fiber they produced,” state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in a news release. “High-quality farmland is one of Pennsylvania’s most valuable economic assets.
“The Shapiro administration continues to stand up for Pennsylvania’s farmers, not just with words but with actions, investing to protect our priceless land, water and soil resources, and fund the innovations that will keep Pennsylvania farmers competitive and sustain their farms tomorrow.”
A crop farm in North Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, was the latest to be included in the commonwealth’s Farmland Preservation Program, along with nearly two dozen others across the state.
“Through the support of the state, Lehigh County and North Whitehall Township, she is now able to protect her 67-acre farm to continue producing crops to feed future generations.”Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
“As a Realtor, Patricia L. Stewart, longtime owner of a Lehigh County farm approved for preservation today, is acutely aware of the pressure to sell to developers in the area,” officials said.
“Through the support of the state, Lehigh County and North Whitehall Township, she is now able to protect her 67-acre farm to continue producing crops to feed future generations.”
The total investment was $569,346, including $414,602 in state funding, $5,000 from the county and $149,744 from the township.
Through the program, farmers sell their development rights to the state Land Preservation Board, protecting the land from any future residential or commercial development.
Twenty-three farms across the state were preserved in this latest round, totaling 2,079 acres in 14 counties. No Northampton County farms were included in this round.
Late last month, Northampton County officials celebrated the 21,000th acre of permanently preserved farmland within the county.
Since 1988, when the state’s Farmland Preservation Program was approved by voters, the commonwealth has protected 6,621 farms in 58 counties from future development, investing more than $1.78 billion in state, county and local funds.
