The College Settlement of Philadelphia Farm in Horsham Township is one of 29 farms in 15 counties that will now be protected from commercial or residential development.

The administration of Governor Josh Shapiro announced that through an investment of more than $10.3 million in state, county, and local dollars these farms will forever be protected.

“Prime soil and clean water are critical resources for feeding a growing population,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said.

“Families who preserve their farms forge a partnership with government, investing together in ensuring that future Pennsylvania families will have green spaces, and the resources to produce food, income, and jobs. Connecting businesses and communities to resources they need to sustain our economy and feed our quality of life is a key goal of the Shapiro Administration.”  

Governor Shapiro’s budget includes $13.8 million to fully fund the Pennsylvania Farm Bill for the fifth year, a $1 million investment for the creation of a new Organic Center of Excellence, $500,000 for a new Center for Plant Excellence, and $2.5 million for the Farmland Preservation Program.

Since 1988, Pennsylvania has protected 6,231 farms and 626,321 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing more than $1.67 billion in state, county, and local funds.

The state partners with county and local governments, as well as non-profits, to purchase the development rights of farms to protect them from developers.

The newly preserved farms are in Adams, Berks, Butler, Centre, Clinton, Cumberland, Lancaster, Lehigh, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Northumberland, Union, and Wayne counties.

Here is a full list of the farms:

Adams County – Hanover Shoe Farms, Inc. #26, Conewago Township, 80-acre horse farm, Hanover Shoe Farms, Inc. #34, Union Township, 63-acre horse farm, Hanover Shoe Farms, Inc. #35, Union Township, 90-acre horse farm, Hanover Shoe Farms, Inc. #36, Union Township, 35-acre horse farm, and Hanover Shoe Farms, Inc. #37, Conewago Township, 56-acre horse farm, for a total investment of – $1,123,968.

Berks County – The Nathaniel S. and Rebecca Weaver Burkholder Farm, Richmond Township, 77-acre crop and livestock farm, the Charles M. III and Linda L. Evans Farm, Jefferson Township, 51-acre crop farm and the Elizabeth Moore Farm, Tulpehoken Township, 120-acre dairy farm, for a total investment of $703,376.

Butler County– The Debra S., DuWayne L., Ronald K. Flinner and Kimberly R. Cunningham Farm, Muddy Creek Township, 58-acre crop farm and the H. George, Kathleen J., and Daniel Joseph Hartzell Farm #3, Slippery Rock Township, 144-acre crop farm, for a total investment of $965,706.

Centre County – The Leo and Bernard Corl Farm, Benner Township, 156-acre crop and livestock farm, for a total investment of $632,152.

Clinton County – The Justin J. Snook Farm #1, Greene Township, 60-acre crop and livestock farm, for a total investment of $128,346.

Cumberland County – The Jerry L. and Sherri A. Mills Farm, Dickinson Township, 134-acre dairy farm and

the Steven W. and Thomas H. Nealy Farm #6, North Newton Township, 68-acre crop farm, for a total investment of $747,775

Lancaster County – Farms saved include the Joel A. and Jaclyn L. Frey, and Wayne L. and Maryanne W. Hershey Farm, Manor Township, 42-acre crop farm, the Christ L. and Martha K. Riehl Farm, Mt. Joy Township, 19-acre crop and livestock farm, and the David J. Smucker Farm, Caernarvon Township, 44-acre dairy farm. Total investment was $331,415.

Lehigh County – The Curtis C. and Janet C. Hoffman Farm, North Whitehall Township, 84-acre crop farm, for a total investment of $630,096.

Mifflin County– The Shawn D. and Emily J. Yoder Farm, Menno Township, 65-acre dairy farm, for a total investment of $93,849.

Monroe County – The Homer Borger, Jr. Farm, Eldred Township, 80-acre crop farm, for a total investment of $423,419.

Montgomery County – The College Settlement of Philadelphia Farm, Horsham Township, 30-acre crop farm, for a total investment of $1,863,665.

Northampton County – Farms preserved include the Malika Chaib Farm, Moore Township, 13-acre crop farm, the Jeffrey Lynn Setzer and Randy Craig Farm, Lower Nazareth Township, 129-acre crop farm, the Anton Michael Bon Shannon and Lisa A. Miskelly Farm, Lower Nazareth Township, 13-acre crop farm, and the Mary Ellen Wetzel Farm #1, Moore Township, 37-acre crop farm. The total investment was $2,105,710.

Northumberland County – Sandra L. Mincemoyer and Mincemoyer Irrevocable Trust Farm, Delaware Township, 89-acre crop farm, for a total investment of $169,587.

Union County – The Matthew B. Stewart Farm, White Deer Township, 11-acre crop farm for a total investment of $4,470.

Wayne County – The Justin G. and Alison T. Hoffman Farm #1, Manchester Township, 54-acre crop farm and the Barbara Ann and Steve L. VanOrden Farm #1, Damascus Township, 146-acre crop farm, for a total investment of $287,634.

Read more about the protected farms at Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program.

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