Farming, Saturday, January 1,1994
More Farmland Preserved
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) The
Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation
Board has approved easement purchases for
24 farms in 13 counties, protecting 2,947
acres of prime farmland from development.
“We’re closing out a very successful year
for the farmland protection program,” said
state Agriculture Secretary and Board Chair
man Boyd E. Wolff. “More counties are pro
tecting an increasing number of farms.”
Under the Farmland Protection Program,
which began in 1989, the state and counties
purchase development rights to guarantee that
their farms will remain as agricultural land.
Individual landowners apply to county Agri
cultural Land Preservation Boards.
If approved for possible easement purch
ase, the county boairis may request state fund
ing participation. Counties may participate
jointly with the state in easement purchases or
may purchase easements outright themselves.
Today’s meeting also represents the first
time that board-approved easements will be
funded by state cigarette tax revenue.
Revenue set aside for farmland preservation
was included in Act 22 of 1991. Based upon a
tax of two cents on every pack of cigarettes
sold in the Commonwealth, the tax is pro
jected to generate $22 million annually.
Cigarette tax revenue is transferred to the
farmland protection program twice per year,
in January and July. Some of the easements
approved for purchase at today’s meeting will
be funded with July cigarette tax revenue.
Following are the properties approved,
listed by county, owner, township, acreage
and purchase cost;
• Berks Clarence D. and Esther L. Gel
singer, Heidelberg Township, 125 acres,
$249,680.
• Berks Roy O, and Gloria M. Christ
man, Marion Township, 239 acres, $452,200.
• Berks Paul R. and Vema M. Christ
man Farm #2, Perry Township, 118 acres,
$223,744.
• Berks Richard and Kay Kerper, Rich
mond Township, 74 acres, $148,820.
• Berks—Omar A. Kurtz, Oley Township,
127 acres. $253,320.
• Berks Paul R. and Vema M. Christ
man Farm #l, Perry Township, 110 acres,
$187,748.
• Berks Thun Farm #2. Lower Heidel
berg Township, 120 acres, $242,975.
• Berks Thun Farm #1 (Louis Thun
Trust Farm), 63 acres. $126,000.
• Chester—Aaron S. and Miriam S. King,
Honey Brook Township, 38 acres, $123,981.
• Chester—E. Robert and Betty L.Piefer,
Londonderry Township, 133 acres, $245,573.
• Cumberland Richard G. and Shelva J.
Mains Farm #2, Penn Township, 211 acres,
$397,102.
• Dauphin—Blair R. and Marie O.Enders,
Jackson Township, 143 acres, $191,321.
■ Dauphin Willard and Janice Schlegel,
Upper Paxton Township, 98 acres, $118,629.
• Lehigh Clayton P. and Geraldine V.
Kerschner, Heidelberg Township. 13S acres,
$270,869.
• Lehigh Forrest A. Sr. and Grace O.
Wessner, Heidelberg Township, 75 acres,
$142,714.
• Lycoming Robert Steppe, Limestone
Township, 103 acres, $lOB,OOO.
• Mercer John L. Fricde, Delaware
Township, 111 acres, $22,152.
• Montgomery Wilmcr F, and Millie M.
Alderfer, Limerick Township, S 3 acres,
$363,732.
• Schuylkill Lyndon Hepler, Eldred
Township-, 89 acres, $89,400.
• Union John R. and Mabel J. Walter,
East Buffalo Township, 94 acres, $98,815.
• Union Donald B. and Ruth E. Span
gler. Limestone Township, 126 acres,
$113,283.
• Wayne Clarence and Lois Fitze, Clin
ton Township, 167 acres, $186,637.
• Westmoreland Donald C. and Judith
Fretts, East Huntingdon Township, 69 acres,
$126,979.
• ' r ork Barley’s Star Rock Farm, East
1 " wnship, 326 acres, $549,290.