Pennsylvania leads the nation in total number of farms and total number of acres preserved for agriculture. As of 2016 Pennsylvania has preserved 4,919 farms, with a total of over 500,000 acres. The program was developed to strengthen Pennsylvania’s agricultural economy and to protect prime farmland from being lost. The Farmland Preservation Easement Purchase Program enables state and county governments to purchase conservation easements through a joint fund. 
 
The State Agricultural Land Preservation Board has established minimum requirements which farms must meet to be eligible for the easement purchase program.
The farmland tract must:

1. be located in an Agricultural Security Area
2. be contiguous acreage of at least 50 acres
3. contain at least 50% soils of a capability class I-IV as defined by USDA-NRCS
4. have at least 50% of the property’s total acreage in current use as harvested cropland (excluding timber harvest), pasture, or grazing land.
5. must be part of a normal farming operation generating farm income.

The application period runs from November 15th through January 15th each year. Applications are ranked according to soil quality, development potential, and farmland potential and clustering potential. The highest-ranking farm is considered for purchase first. The farm is then appraised to determine the easement value, which is the difference between actual value and agricultural value.

The Susquehanna County Agricultural Land Preservation Easement Purchase Program is administered by the Susquehanna County Conservation District. For further information contact Christie Bedene – 570-278-4600 ext. 3052.
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In May 2017, the Ag Preservation Program in Susquehanna County welcomed the Squier Farm located in Bridgewater Township. This farm consisted of 152.65 acres and is a replacement heifer operation. Making it the 33rd farm to be preserved and bring the currently preserved acreage to 6,500.