Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Wednesday, June 21, that almost $1 million has been invested in the preservation of Butler County farms.

“Prime soil and clean water are critical resources for feeding a growing population,” agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in a statement. “Families who preserve their farms for a partnership with government, investing together in ensuring that future Pennsylvania families will have green spaces and resources to produce food, income and jobs.”

Shapiro’s administration partnered with state and regional governments to invest more than $10.2 million across the state to protect farmland from commercial and residential development.

“Pennsylvania partners with county and sometimes local governments and nonprofits to purchase development rights, ensuring a strong future for farming and food security,” the statement read. “By selling their land’s development rights, farm owners ensure that their farms will remain farms and never sold to developers.”

In the county, $965,706 was invested for the protection of over 200 acres of farmland, with $940,706 coming from the state and $25,000 from the county.

A portion of the funds will protect the Debra S., DuWayne L., Ronald K. Flinner and Kimberly R. Cunningham Farm. The farm is a 58-acre crop farm in Muddy Creek Township.

Additional funds helped preserve the H. George, Kathleen J., and Daniel Joseph Hartzell Farm #3 in Slippery Rock Township. The farm is a 144-acre crop farm.

They were two of 29 farms preserved across the state. Other counties that saw investment included Adams, Berk, Centre, Clinton, Cumberland, Lancaster, Lehigh, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Northumberland, Union and Wayne.

In total, the investments helped preserve 2,044 acres of farmland in the state.

Shapiro is seeking over $17 million in the proposed 2023 budget for agricultural development: $13.8 million is slated to fully fund the Pennsylvania Farm Bill for its fifth year, $1 million is to be invested in a new Organic Center of Excellence, $500,000 will be used to found a new Center for Plant Excellence and $2.5 million will fund the Farmland Preservation Program.

According to Shapiro’s statement, Pennsylvania is the national leader in farmland preservation.

“Since 1988, Pennsylvania has protected 6,231 farms and 626,321 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing more than $1.67 billion in state, county and local funds,” the statement read.

Shapiro’s release states the investments will “multiply public dollars invested in conservation initiatives, including the new $154 million Agricultural Conservation Assistance program, supporting farmers’ efforts to reduce water pollution and improve soil quality.”

Additionally, Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program was recently awarded a $7.85 million federal grant from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program to support “climate-smart“ conservation.

“Connecting businesses and communities to resources they need to sustain our economy and feed our quality of life is a key goal of the Shapiro administration,” Redding said.