Three farms in Berks County, totaling 206 acres, will be permanently protected from future development as part of a statewide farmland preservation investment announced by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
The State Agricultural Land Preservation Board approved $648,126 in funding to purchase development rights for the three Berks County properties, including $619,062 in state funding and $29,064 in county funding.
The farms include:
- Bern Township: A 31-acre crop farm owned by Keith H. and Malinda S. Hoover.
- Centre Township: A 58-acre crop and livestock farm owned by Gerry K. and Darlene R. Noecker.
- Lower Heidelberg Township: A 117-acre crop farm owned by Albert W. Schaeffer.
The Berks County properties were among 22 farms across 14 Pennsylvania counties approved for preservation through a statewide investment of more than $5.8 million. In total, the latest round of funding will protect approximately 1,228 acres of agricultural land.
Through Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program, state and local governments partner with landowners to purchase agricultural conservation easements, which permanently restrict development of the properties for residential or commercial purposes.
The program allows farmers to retain ownership of their land while ensuring it remains available for agricultural use.
“Every farm preserved is a promise to the next generation — a promise that productive farmland, family legacies and Pennsylvania’s agricultural heritage will endure,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “From a Bucks County farm with roots stretching back more than 260 years to an Adams County family preserving its fourth farm, these stories show the lasting impact of farmland preservation.”
The latest approvals also included farms in Adams, Bucks, Dauphin, Erie, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Susquehanna and York counties.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania has invested more than $41 million so far in 2026 to preserve 134 farms and 10,118 acres. In 2025, the state preserved 167 farms totaling 14,147 acres through investments exceeding $50.1 million.
Since taking office, the Shapiro Administration has invested nearly $188 million to preserve 632 farms and 51,674 acres statewide.
Pennsylvania’s farmland preservation efforts date back to 1988, when voters approved the creation of the statewide program. Since then, more than 6,781 farms and 671,082 acres in 58 counties have been protected from future development, representing over $1.83 billion in combined state, county and local investments.
Pennsylvania leads the nation in the number of preserved farms, according to the Department of Agriculture.
State officials say the preservation program is intended to maintain productive farmland, support agricultural businesses and protect land for future generations of farmers.
Pennsylvania’s agricultural industry includes more than 48,800 farms, contributes over $132 billion annually to the state’s economy and supports nearly 600,000 jobs, according to the administration.