Farmland preservation programs in Butler County help to preserve farmland through the purchase of development rights or conservation easements.

A farm must go through several steps to enter the preservation program. Sometimes the process can take more than a year. Funding must be available for more farms to be preserved.

Entering an agricultural security area is voluntary. This is the first step for farmers interested in preserving their farms. Farmers must submit a petition to their township in order to create an area.

The benefits of entering a security area include special considerations in local township ordinances affecting farming activities, nuisance complaints and review of farmland condemnation.

Landowners interested in the conservation easement programs should contact the Butler County Conservation District office. Applications are due by Jan. 31.

Each potential candidate for farmland preservation is ranked against all other farms completing the application. A farm's rank is based on the quality of the farmland, stewardship and the likelihood of the conversion of the farm to nonagricultural uses. The landowner must have 50 acres.

The county farmland preservation board reviews each application. The board calculates land value of the farm in the agriculture and the value of the land if it were to be developed for non-agricultural purposes.

Once selected, the property is appraised by a state-certified appraiser. The easement purchase price per acre is derived from the difference of the agricultural land value versus the development value.

The applicant must then accept or reject the offer of the county preservation board to purchase the conservation easement. When the offer is accepted, the property must be surveyed to determine the exact amount of acreage present on the farm.

Once the conservation easement purchase price has been agreed upon by the landowner and the county farmland preservation board, the application is sent to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Farmland Preservation Program. The number of farms preserved each year depends upon the availability of funding.