HARRISBURG — The state Agricultural Land Preservation Board on Thursday safeguarded 4,181 acres on 41 farms in 21 counties through its farmland preservation program.

Two of the farms are in Butler County:

• The Michael and David Burgoon farm, a 60-acre crop farm in Clay Township

• The Matthew L., N. Jane and James G. Vadnal and Connie C. Turner farm, a 195.36-acre crop farm in Jefferson Township.

Since the Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program began in 1988, state, county and local governments have invested more than $1.2 billion to preserve 484,270 acres on 4,532 farms in 57 counties for future agricultural production.

The program identifies properties and slows the loss of prime farmland to nonagricultural uses.

The program enables state, county and local governments to buy conservation easements, also called development rights, from owners of quality farmland.