Butler County is one of 57 Pennsylvania counties entered in the state’s Farmland Preservation Program. There are now 49 farms enrolled here.

The state agricultural land preservation board established minimum requirements that must be met to qualify. The land is evaluated based on the following:

- It must be included as part of a duly recorded agricultural area within a township

- It must have at least 50 percent of its soil available for agricultural production that is Capability Class I-IV as defined by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

- It must contain at least 50 percent or have 10 acres of harvested cropland, pasture land or grazing land

- The farm must be at least 50 contiguous acres unless the tract is at least 10 acres and either utilized for a crop unique to the area or is contiguous to a property that has a perpetual conservation easement in place

- Development pressure in the area is considered as is the sustainability of the tract. Any pre-existing perpetual restrictions against development are a factor

- The farm is located in an area identified by the county or township comprehensive plan as desirable for agricultural use

- The applicant’s stewardship of the land is important. A conservation plan must be followed by the farmer

- The applicant must submit an entire parcel as identified on the Butler County tax assessment maps. After submission, the application will be checked to make sure the minimum requirements have been met and scored using the county land assessment system.

The system ranks by evaluating soil and location factors. The land evaluation is 50 percent and site assessment is 50 percent of the total score. In this way, farms are ranked by the quality of the soil and development of farmland and clustering potential.

After applications are ranked each February, the top farms are appraised. The farmer must deposit $1,800 for the appraisal. The deposit will be refunded if the applicant does not sever the contract of sale and accepts an offer equal to the appraised value of the conservation easement of the property.

The appraisal report provides the Butler County Agricultural Preservation Board with an estimate of the value of the conservation easement, which is the difference between the market value and farmland value. A land survey will be completed when the landowner accepts the offer for the conservation easement.

Interested landowners have until Jan. 31 to submit an application.

Contact me at the fifth floor of the Butler Courthouse Annex for more information. Call 724-822-7064.

Ron Fodor is manager of the Butler County Conservation District.