Agricultural security areas are intended to promote permanent and viable farming operations over the long term by strengthening the farming community's sense of security in land use and the right to farm.

Agricultural security areas are created by local municipalities in cooperation with individual landowners who agree to place at least 250 acres in a security area.

These areas provide three main benefits to landowners:

• Municipalities agree to support agriculture by not passing nuisance ordinances that would restrict normal farming operations.

• Limitations are placed on the ability of government to condemn farmland located in an agricultural security area for new schools, highways, parks or other government projects.

• Landowners who are part of a 500 acre or larger security area may be eligible to apply to sell a perpetual conservation easement (or development rights) through their local preservation program.

Having land enrolled in an agricultural security area in a township does not restrict a landowner's ability to use his or her property for nonagricultural development purposes.

Noncontiguous farm parcels must be at least 10 acres. The farm tracts needed to create a 250-acre or larger agricultural security area do not have to be under the same ownership or even be located in the same municipality. There can be joint municipality security areas.The property should be viable agricultural land. Cropland, pasture and woodland can all be included in a security area.At least 50 percent of the land should be soil capability classes I to IV, as defined by the county soil survey.The property must be zoned to permit agricultural uses.The township or borough must review the agricultural security area every seven years.

<i>Ron Fodor is manager of the Butler County Conservation District.</i>