Three farms in Southeastern Butler County will be preserved for generations to come as part of the state Agricultural Land Preservation Board's farmland preservation program.

On Thursday, the state board announced that a total 2,848 acres on 39 farms in 19 counties will now be included in the program, which prevents farms from being developed in perpetuity to preserve the rural character of Pennsylvania.

The Butler County farms are two Greenspace Land Inc. farms in the Saxonburg area and the Ronald R. and Carol J. Kennedy Farm, a 52-acre crop farm in Winfield Township.

The Greenspace Land farms are 36- and 34-acre crop farms, respectively.

“Our ability to feed a growing world and give consumers the locally produced food they want is inextricably tied to how well we preserve farmland and protect our abundant natural resources,” said Russell Redding, state agriculture secretary. “Beautiful open spaces, clean water and fertile soil aren't going to stay just because we want them, but because they provide economic opportunities that meet specific goals: producing food and fiber, giving consumers what they want and enriching our quality of life.”

Since 1988, 5,675 Pennsylvania farms covering 579,940 acres in 59 counties have been preserved by state, federal and local governments, according to a news release from Redding's office.

Gov. Tom Wolf's 2020 budget proposal includes $40 million for farm preservation.