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A farm in Marion Township will become the latest to benefit from the state’s Farmland Preservation Program, according to a news release from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

The 92-acre crop and livestock farm, owned by Lawrence H. and Carrie L. Lang in Marion Township, was granted $292,149 by the state for its development rights, ensuring the land will remain dedicated to agriculture forever.

The latest announcement was part of a near $10 million purchase of 2,672 acres on 35 farms across 18 counties, which also included a 24-acre crop farm in nearby Beaver County.

“I like the fact that the legislature, from our state representatives and senators to the governor, recognizes that agriculture is a vital industry in Pennsylvania,” said William Thiele, the Director of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau District 15. “It’s always good to see legislators on both sides of the aisle recognize its importance.”

Thiele said his family farm in Jefferson Township, which covers more than 150 acres, was the first Butler County property to be protected through the program.

Since the program’s inception in 1988, more than 50 farms from around the county have been protected. Regardless of whether those properties change hands over time, they cannot be developed for any other commercial or residential purposes.

Thiele noted that the ability to preserve farms while maintaining a diverse landscape is what makes Butler County unique.

“Butler County specifically compared to neighboring counties has a little bit of everything here,” he said. “We’re kind of a microcosm of Pennsylvania and the nation in that way because we have a lot of agriculture and other industries. I like that areas such Cranberry Township and the city of Butler and all of the surrounding farmland can coexist in relative proximity because that’s basically what America is.”