The Farmland Preservation Program helps maintain farmland through the purchase of development rights or conservation easements. A farm must go through several steps to enter the program. The process can sometimes take a year or longer.

Entering an Agricultural Security Area (ASA) is voluntary. This is the first step for farmers interested in preserving their farms. Farmers must submit a petition to the municipality to create an ASA. The benefits of entering into an ASA include: special considerations in local ordinances that affect farming, nuisance complaints, and review of farmland condemnation.

Landowners interested in the Conservation Easement Program should contact the Butler County Conservation District office at 724-284-5270. Applications are due by January 31, 2005. It is important to note that the applicant must be in an ASA to be considered. If the applicant is not in an ASA now, it may take 180 days to complete the process. Also, the farmer must own at least 50 acres of land and have an approved conservation plan.

Each potential candidate for farmland preservation is ranked against all other eligible farms. A farm's rank is based on the quality of farmland, stewardship, and the likelihood of the conversion of the farm to non-agricultural uses.

The county farmland preservation board reviews each farm's situation. The local board calculates the agricultural land value of the farm and the value of the land if it were to be developed for non-agriculture purposes. The property is then appraised by a state-certified official. The easement purchase price per acre is derived from the difference between the agricultural land value and the development value.

The applicant must then accept or reject the offer of the of Agriculture Preservation Board to purchase the conservation easement. When the offer is accepted, the property must then be surveyed.

Once the easement price has been agreed upon, the application is sent to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for final acceptance.

There are currently 23 Butler County farms in the program.

Ron Fodor is district manager of the Butler County Conservation District.