By Kara Seymour, Patch Staff

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — More than 100 acres of Bucks County farmland was preserved this week through a state program.

The Paul A. & Judith K. Lapinski Farm, 39 acres, and The James & Christine Simkins Farm, 67 acres, have been preserved.

In November, the Bucks County Board of Commissioners approved contributions towards preserving the farms, including $234,720 towards Lapinski Farm on Middle Road and $322,608 towards Simkins Farm on Haring Road.

In addition to the two farms in Bucks County, 28 other Pennsylvania farms were preserved this week. Preserved lands include crop farms, equine farms, those that produce fruit and vegetables, timber, dairy, and more. Several counties saw farms preserved this week, including Chester, Butler, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lehigh, Northampton, Northumberland, York, and more.
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The state board, in partnership with county boards, ended the year by preserving 210 farms (17,817 acres)– the highest number of farms in a decade, state officials said.

“This collaboration of state, county, local, and federal government combines with the farmer’s commitment to safeguarding our land to help secure a future for agriculture and the world our industry feeds, clothes, and fuels,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “Preserved farmland represents an investment in our best agricultural land for not only our state economy, environment, and food supply, but for our generations to come.”

Since the program began in 1988, federal, state, county, and local governments have purchased permanent easements on 5,637 farms totaling 577,404 acres in 59 counties for agricultural production, according to data from the state.

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