County Programs

The Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program was developed to strengthen Pennsylvania's agricultural economy and protect prime farmland. This program enables state and county governments to purchase conservation easements from farmers.  Presently, 59 counties have established boards, many of which are members of the Pennsylvania Farmland Preservation Association.  To see the acres preserved in an individual county click here.

Individual County programs are administered by Local Boards and Local Staff.  Counties differ in the structure of their individual programs; however, each operate under the review and approval of the State Farmland Preservation Board.  Contact your local Farmland Preservation Office to determine the procedures in place for your county. 

 In addition to the county board, the 17-member State Agricultural Land Preservation Board provides statewide governance of the program. This board is responsible for the distribution of funds, approval and monitoring of the county programs and specific easement purchases. The Department of Agriculture Bureau of Farmland Preservation is responsible for administration of the statewide program.

The 25th Anniversary of Farmland Preservation in Pennsylvania was celebrated in 2013; in 2021 the 600,000 acre milestone of permanently perserved acres was exceeded and we are looking to post the 6,000th Farm by Feburary 2022!

Currently, 5,979 farms have been approved for easement purchases totaling more than 606,215 acres in 59 Counties.