150 Acres Of Bucks Co. Farmland Preserved Through State Program

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Three Bucks County farms were among 47 that were permanently preserved by the Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board in an action Thursday.

The three Bucks County farms included in the preservation measures include two farms in Quakertown and one in Ottsville. In total, the farms make up more than 150 acres.

The farms were preserved through the Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program.

Program funding allows state, county and local governments to purchase conservation easements from owners of quality farmland. State, county, local, and federal funds committed at today’s meeting are allocated to county programs to purchase development rights to preserve farms on county waiting lists.

“Preserving farmland is a team effort among diverse groups united in our effort to spare the state’s best agricultural soils from development,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “Together we help farmers to take an important step toward securing a future for their operations. This meeting is the culmination of an important chapter in the stories of 47 farm families from all corners of Pennsylvania.”

The Bucks County farms that were preserved include:

• The Paul and Jocelyn Stepanoff farm, a 41.42-acre crop farm in Quakertown
• The Stephen D. Klein Irrevocable Trust farm, a 91.1-acre crop farm in Quakertown
• The David R. Wolfinger farm, a 19.81-acre crop farm in Ottsville