Butler is one of 57 counties in Pennsylvania enrolled in the Farmland Preservation Program. There are now 38 farms preserved in Butler County.

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

The state Agricultural Land Preservation Board established minimum requirements that a farm must meet to qualify for the program. The land is evaluated on the following terms:

• It must be included as part of a duly recorded agricultural security area in the township.

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

• It must contain at least 50 percent or 10 acres of harvested cropland, pasture or grazing lands.

• It must be contiguous of at least 50 acres in size unless the tract is at least 10 acres in size and either utilized for a crop unique to the area or contiguous to a property that has a perpetual easement in place.

• The development pressure in the area is also considered.

• Also considered is location in an area identified by the county or township comprehensive plan as desirable for agricultural use.

• The applicant’s stewardship of the land, conservation practices, best management practices, nutrient management and erosion and sedimentation control are also factors.

An applicant must submit an entire parcel as identified on Butler County tax assessment maps.

After an application is submitted, it will be checked to make sure all minimum requirements are met.

The application then will be scored using Butler County’s land evaluation assessment system.

This system ranks the conservation easement application by evaluating soil and location factors for each tract under consideration.

In this way, farms are ranked by the quality of soils, development of farmland and clustering potential.

After applications are ranked each February, the top farms are appraised. All applications are subject to the availability of funding.

The farmers must then deposit $1,800 for the appraisal of the property. 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.

The appraisal report will provide the county agricultural land preservation board with an estimate of the value of the easement, which is the difference between the market value and farmland value.

For information, call 724-284-5270.

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