Two Northampton County farms, totaling 70 acres, will be preserved under a state investment program that protects them from future residential or commercial development.
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office announced Thursday that more than 2,250 acres on 28 farms in 15 counties were part of a $8.07 million investment in state, county and local funds.
Pennsylvania partners with county and local governments and nonprofits to buy development rights so farm owners ensure their farms will remain farms and never be sold to developers.
“Real estate is all about location,” state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “Pennsylvania’s prime location — near ports, interstates, railways and 40% of the U.S. population — brings fierce competition from developers who will pay top dollar. Protecting our prime farmland from becoming warehouses, housing developments, or parking lots is one of the most important investments government and farmers make together, not just for our food supply, but our quality of life, and our future prosperity.”
The two Lehigh Valley farms preserved in this round had a total investment of $658,540 from the state and $212,925 from Northampton County. They are:
- Jacob R. and Amanda M. Klein, a 43-acre crop farm in Forks Township
- Weinhofer Farms LLC No. 2, a 27-acre crop farm in Allen Township.
According to Northampton County’s website, it has preserved 251 farms covering more than 19,000 acres since 1989.
Lehigh County has a similar program. According to its website, it has preserved 399 farms covering more than 27,766 acres. The county has allocated $1 million per year for the purchase of development rights and is looking to keep that amount through 2026.
Since 1988, Pennsylvania has protected 6,364 farms and 636,625 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing more than $1.7 billion in state, county, and local funds.
Outside of the Lehigh Valley, farmland was also preserved in Adams, Beaver, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Tioga, Union, Washington, Westmoreland and York counties.
