HARRISBURG PA – Four Berks County farms are among 22 across the state preserved during April (2023) from future residential or commercial development as part of Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program.
Nearly $5 million in state, county, and local funding was invested to protect “prime farmland for the future, helping Pennsylvania farms continue feeding our families and our economy,” Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office said. The program, managed by the state Agriculture Department’s Bureau of Farmland Preservation, buys conservation easements from land owners to legally perpetuate their use as farms.
Preserved in Berks County under the latest agreements were the:
- Boyd Revocable Living Trust, William T. and Karen A. Boyd, trustees, Longswamp Township, a 67-acre crop farm;
- Cedar Creek Dairy LLC, Upper Tulpehocken Township, a 43-acre crop farm;
- The Henry L. and Madeline M. Seidel Farm, Greenwich Township, a 122-acre crop farm; and
- The Barry A. Smith Farm, Greenwich Township, a 95-acre crop and livestock farm.
A total of $897,598 was invested in the easements, of which the state provided $856,439, and the county $41,159. “Families who preserve their farms are forging a partnership with government, investing together in ensuring that future Pennsylvania families will have food, green spaces, income, and jobs,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said.
Easements also were purchased for farms in Blair, Cambria, Centre, Crawford, Cumberland, Lackawanna, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Mercer, Union, and York counties.
Fresh corn in the field photo by The Post
