BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Five Lehigh Valley farms have been preserved as part of a $5.8 million statewide effort to ward off development and protect open spaces.
"In the simplest terms, without farms, we don't eat," said Russell Redding, the commonwealth’s agriculture secretary, in a Thursday news release. "Pennsylvania has some of the richest soil in the nation and is situated near ports, railways, interstate highways and 40% of the nation's population – the very people we need to feed.
“Protecting those economic opportunities and irreplaceable resources for our farmers is one of the most important investments we make as a state."
The farms, three in Lehigh County and two in Northampton County were the latest to be included in the commonwealth’s Farmland Preservation Program, along with more than a dozen others across the state. Through the program, farmers sell their development rights to the state’s State Land Preservation Board, protecting the land from any future residential or commercial development.
By preserving these farms, we are guaranteeing future generations will have the same access we do. I will continue to advocate to bring funding to our local agriculture specialists.State Sen. Nick Miller, D-Lehigh/Northampton
“Agriculture is a critical component to the Lehigh Valley,” said state Sen. Nick Miller, D-Lehigh/Northampton, in a news release. “However, many of our farmers are struggling. Without our farms, we lose access to so many benefits, including fresh food and jobs.
“By preserving these farms, we are guaranteeing future generations will have the same access we do. I will continue to advocate to bring funding to our local agriculture specialists.”
In Lehigh County, the total investment was just shy of $3.3 million, divided between state, county and township funds, according to the news release.
Farms preserved included: William G. and Cheryl C. Ash and Brian Brady, a horse farm in Heidelberg Township; Weinhofer Farms LLC, a 154-acre crop farm in Whitehall Township; and Errol W. and Virginia A. Zellner, Brenda Kay and Robert Price, a 28-acre crop farm in Washington Township.
Jody L. and Megan M. Snyder, a 33-acre crop farm in Lehigh Township, and Weinhofer Farms LLC #3, a 16-acre crop farm in East Allen Township, were the Northampton County farms to be included in this round of preservation, costing the state $552,772.
“Over the decades, so much of our farmland has been purchased and utilized for other purposes,” Miller said. “Let’s protect what we still have by investing in their future.”
Since 1988, when the state’s Farmland Preservation Program was approved by voters, the commonwealth has protected 6,336 farms and 634,375 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing more than $1.69 billion in state, county and local funds.
