State investment to preserve farmland in Main Township
MAINVILLE – Around 86 acres of farmland in our area will be preserved for future generations.
The Commonwealth announced Thursday plans to purchase developmental rights for 2,629 acres of farmland across 19 counties, which they say will protect them from future residential and commercial development.
The only such purchase in our area is in Main Township, where the state will spend $109,190 to preserve the Lloyd G. and Debra C. Breisch Farm #1, an 86-acre crop farm.
“Pennsylvania’s location — near ports, interstates, railways, and 40 percent of the U.S. population — makes our state a great place to do business,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “If your business is farming, that location brings fierce competition from developers willing to pay top dollar for your land. Keeping prime farmland from becoming warehouses, housing developments, or parking lots is a critical investment the Shapiro Administration is making in partnership with farm families and county and local governments to feed our families, and our economy, and our future.”
Since 1998, the state has protected 6,392 farms and 639,254 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 development rights, farm owners ensure that their farms will remain productive farms and never be sold to developers.
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