Conklin: Nearly $740,000 secured to preserve District 77 farms
Rep. Scott Conklin June 14, 2024 | 4:58 PM
STATE COLLEGE, June 14 – New funding of nearly $740,000 – including a state investment of $628,000 from the Department of Agriculture – will ensure preservation of farms in the 77th Legislative District, state Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre, announced today.
Conklin said the funding awarded under the state’s Farmland Preservation Program will allow the state to purchase development rights for two local farms to protect the land from future residential or commercial development.
“These farms are critically important to our community, but their benefits extend far beyond the fences that border them,” Conklin said. “Under the talented stewardship of our local farmers, these lands strengthen our regional food supply and bolster the health of our local, regional and state economies. This new funding is going to help ensure they are around now and far into the future, where we can all continue to reap the benefits.”
Conklin said the funding will be used to purchase development rights to the following farms:
- Carl R. Gates Farm, Ferguson Township, 193-acre crop and livestock farm.
- Thomas W., Cynthia B., and William H. Hall, and Janis H. Goodman Farm, Halfmoon Township, 88-acre crop and livestock farm.
The funding includes $627,972 from the state, $100,000 from the county, and $11,956 from Ferguson Township.
More about the funding is available here: https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/Agriculture_details.aspx?newsid=1395#:~:text=The%20farms%2C%20approved%20for%20conservation,families%2C%20communities%2C%20and%20jobs.