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Mifflin County to open applications for farmland preservation easements; program has preserved 3,434 acres since 1993
Summary
The county announced the agricultural land preservation board will open eligibility and advertise for farms seeking conservation easements in 2025; commissioners said the county has purchased easements on 31 farms totaling 3,434 acres since starting participation in 1993.
Commissioners said the Mifflin County Agricultural Land Preservation Board will open eligibility for farms to apply for conservation easements in 2025 and will publish advertisements in local newspapers in April and May.
A commissioner provided background on the program, noting that the statewide farmland preservation program began in 1981 and that Mifflin County joined the program in 1993. Since then, he said, the county and its board have purchased conservation easements on 31 farms, totaling 3,434 acres.
The commissioner explained how easements are purchased: the county pays the difference between the fair market value and the agricultural value of a farm to acquire a perpetual easement that keeps the land in agricultural use. He said applications will be ranked in June and that recommendations will be forwarded to the county board and to state officials in the summer.
The board did not take a separate vote on the announcement; it was presented as an informational update on the board’s schedule.
