Five Bucks County Farms Preserved Through State Initiative

Twenty six Pennsylvania farms, including five in Bucks County, were preserved this month through a state initiative.

Preservation of the farms, which total 2,363 acres, put Pennsylvania on track to safeguard its half-millionth acre of farmland from development by the end of 2014.

“Since the program began in 1988, federal, state, county and local governments have invested more than $1.2 billion to preserve 493,786 acres on 4,638 farms in 57 counties for future agricultural production,” the state said in a press release.

“We’re closing in on the major 500,000-acre milestone for our nation-leading farmland preservation program,” said Agriculture Secretary George Greig. “But just as important are each acre we preserved today and all others safeguarded since the program began in 1988. Each one brings us closer to preserving our state’s best farmland for production agriculture for generations to come.”

The Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program identifies properties and slows the loss of prime farmland to non-agricultural uses. It enables state, county and local governments to purchase conservation easements, also called development rights, from owners of quality farmland.

The following farms in Bucks County were preserved:

The James L. and Gail J. Crooke farm, a 42.58-acre crop farm

The Leroy W. and Diann L. Diehl farm, a 48.26-acre crop farm

The Robert and Doris J. Huntzinger farm, a 99.88-acre crop farm

The J. Philip and Joy N. Johnson farm, a 34.28-acre crop farm

The Joseph M. Wicen, a 78.18-acre crop farm