The Centre County Agricultural Land Preservation Board in January officially preserved 82 acres of farmland in Potter Township, the 59th farm to be preserved under the program.
Supported by funds from the commonwealth, the county and Potter Township, the board recorded a deed for an agricultural easement for the Donald A. and Teresa L. Grove farm on Route 45/Earlystown Road, according to a news release.
An agricultural easement ensures that the property will remain only farmland perpetuity. The program compensates owners for giving up development rights when they place an agricultural easement on the land.
The agreement was for $269,775, according to county records.
The addition of the Grove farm brings the county program’s preserved farmlands to 8,288 acres.
Operator Melvin Dutrow grows corn, snap beans and soybeans on the farm, and the Groves’ grandchildren grow pumpkins to sell at their roadside stand in the fall. Their “Jacob and Kenzie Pumpkins” sign is a recognizable site along the route in autumn.
According to the release, Kenzie has told her grandparents she wants to farm the land when she grows up.
“Preserving the farm for their granddaughter and for future generations, the Groves have permanently preserved the land for agricultural production,” the release stated. “The property cannot be developed for any other purpose.”
The Grove farm is the 11th property to be preserved in Potter Township, which now has 1,612 acres of preserved farmland. It is contiguous to preserved farms owned by David D. and Darlene R. Bierly and by Mary A. Resides, and opposite the preserved farms owned by Michael Marquardt and Daniel E. Wasson, expanding the cluster of preserved farmland in the Route 45 corridor.
Centre County has a ranked waiting list that currently has 39 eligible applicants to be considered for farmland preservation. Farmland is ranked by weighted criteria that includes the percentage of Class I through IV soils, potential to be purchased by developers and proximity to farms that have already been preserved.
Applicants for farmland preservation are required to be located in their municipality’s Agricultural Security Area, according to the preservation board. A combined minimum of 250 acres is required to establish an ASA. Land qualifies for consideration under the farmland preservation program if the ASA has at least 500 acres enrolled.
Potter Township’s ASA is 11,987 acres, most recently having added the 76.19 acre Mark T. and Amy L. Sharer farm in December.
An ASA offers protection from local ordinances and nuisance lawsuits that affect normal operations, among other benefits, according to the preservation board. Joining or leaving an ASA is voluntary.
“Unpreserved property landowners in an ASA are permitted to develop the property for non-agricultural purposes,” the release stated. “Preserved farm landowners within the ASA, having sold their development rights, are prohibited from developing their properties for non-agricultural purposes.”
For more about the farmland preservation program and Agricultural Security Areas, visit centrecountypa.gov/609/PACE-Program.
