A 152-acre farm in Lower Heidelberg Township will remain farmland permanently under a state program aimed at protecting Pennsylvania’s agricultural landscape from future development.
The Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board approved the preservation of the property owned by Cynthia J. Moore as part of a nearly $8.8 million investment announced by the Shapiro administration to protect 22 farms totaling 1,775 acres across 16 counties.
The Berks County project received a total investment of $431,531, including $410,223 from the state and $21,308 from Berks County. The property is identified as a crop farm.
The preservation was approved through Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program, which allows farm owners to sell development rights while retaining ownership of their land. In exchange, the properties are permanently protected from future residential and commercial development and must remain in agricultural use.
Statewide, the latest round of approvals protects farms in Berks, Bucks, Centre, Chester, Columbia, Cumberland, Erie, Franklin, Lehigh, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Schuylkill and Wayne counties.
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said the investment helps ensure that farmland remains available for future generations of farmers.
“The farm families we are investing in today have remained resilient and committed to the noble work of growing the food that helps feed their neighbors,” Redding said. “We are proud to help ensure that their family legacies are imbedded into our agriculture heritage for generations to come.”
The announcement marks the second major round of farmland preservation funding this year. In April, the state announced more than $10.2 million to preserve 31 farms totaling 2,645 acres. So far in 2026, Pennsylvania has preserved 78 farms covering 6,325 acres.
Since the state’s farmland preservation program began in 1988, Pennsylvania has protected 6,726 farms and more than 667,000 acres from future development. According to the Department of Agriculture, the commonwealth leads the nation in preserved farmland.
Agriculture remains one of Pennsylvania’s largest industries, with nearly 49,000 farms contributing $132.5 billion to the state’s economy and supporting almost 600,000 jobs. The Shapiro administration has identified agriculture as one of five priority industries in its 10-year economic development strategy.
The latest preservation effort brings Pennsylvania’s total investment in farmland protection under the current administration to more than $172 million, preserving 577 farms and nearly 48,000 acres statewide.