A 79-acre crop farm in North Annville Township will be preserved thanks to approximately $200,000 in public funding.
The farm property, located near Heilmandale and Thompson roads in North Annville Township, was one of 22 approved last week by the State Land Preservation Board.
Craig Zemitis, ag preservation specialist with the Lebanon County Conservation District, said that the next steps are to wait for the state checks to process and then to hold closing. The whole process should be around four or five months, said Zemitis.
The property is owned by Kathleen S. Eisenhouer, Linda S. Johnson, and Glen R. Hess. The state is contributing $144,944 to the preservation, along with $56,837 from the county.
Read More: Saving the land forever: Lebanon County farmland preservation program explained
The state decision came as part of a $5.8 million state funding round which will help preserve 1,519 additional acres on 22 farms in 11 counties. Since the Farmland Preservation Program was started in 1988, 634,375 acres across 6,336 farms have been preserved. Lebanon County reached a milestone 20,000 acres preserved in 2022.
Read More: Lebanon County reaches landmark: 20,000 acres preserved in perpetuity
“Farm families who sell their land development rights are leaving a legacy that will ensure that future Pennsylvania families have green spaces and healthy farmland to produce food, income, and jobs,” said Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding in a press release.
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