Local farm to benefit from ‘Farm Forever’ grant

PULASKI TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WKBN) – A farm in Pulaski Township will benefit from a grant that will protect its land.

Steven and Milly Slick will benefit from a $106,116 grant for an easement purchase to protect their 71-acre farm from residential and commercial development, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

The money is part of over $6 million the Commonwealth is awarding to 28 farms in 16 counties for conservation easements. The easement purchases are in addition to money invested in other initiatives, including $154 million for the Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP),  Clean & Green tax incentives, $13 million in Resource Enhancement and Protection tax credits , and support for Pennsylvania farmers who are conserving and enhancing the clean water and healthy soil they need to be productive in the future.

“Saving Pennsylvania’s fertile farmland for producing food, rather than losing it to warehouses and suburban sprawl, is one of our biggest challenges,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “Pennsylvania’s prime location near ports, interstates, railways and 40 percent of the U.S. population means farmers face fierce competition from developers seeking to buy their land.”

PDA said the Commonwealth leads the nation in preserved farmland. Since 1988, when voters overwhelmingly supported creating the state’s Farmland Preservation Program , Pennsylvania has protected  6,451 farms and 643,912 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing more than $1.7 billion in state, county and local funds.

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