Pa. leads nation in preserving farmland (complete article from source)
Source: LehighValleyLive.com
August 29, 2008
Northampton County has managed to save 10,000 acres.
Farmers like Jan and Charlie Graver are the reason why Pennsylvania leads the nation in farmland preservation, officials said.
State and local officials met at the Gravers' Moore Township farm to celebrate preserving 400,000 acres of farmland across the state, more acreage than any other state.
Northampton County preserved its 10,000th acre in June, according to Maria Bentzoni, county farmland preservation director.
"If we don't have land to produce our own food, we'll have to plan on shipping it in from outside the country," Bentzoni said. "We need to start looking at our own assets and being responsible to preserve them and making sure future generations have what we have."
The Gravers agreed to sell their development rights in 2007, which means the farm run by the Graver family for 204 years will remain agricultural land. They used the proceeds from the program to put up a pole barn, Bentzoni said.
"Production agriculture is Pennsylvania's key source of food and fiber and it is an integral part of the state's economy," said Gov. Ed Rendell in a prepared statement.
Northampton County started the preservation program in 1989. The county started funding the program through a 0.25 percent tax in 2006 and the state matches county funds with grants.
Bentzoni said all efforts should be made to save farmland because once it's gone it can't be replaced.
"This is one step," Bentzoni said. "This isn't the end-all be-all answer but this is one step."
