Governor Josh Shapiro Allocates $85 Million for Pennsylvania Farmland Preservation and Soil Health

LANCASTER, Pa. — Governor Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced on Monday the distribution of $85 million in state conservation grants through the Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program (ACEPP) and the Clean Streams Fund to permanently preserve 25,000 acres of productive family farmland across forty counties and fund regenerative soil health practices.

The investment brings Pennsylvania's total preserved farmland to over 640,000 acres across 6,300 multi-generational family farms—the leading agricultural preservation program in the United States—ensuring that prime agricultural soils are permanently protected from suburban residential subdivision and industrial warehouse sprawl.

Securing Pennsylvania's $132 Billion Agricultural Economy Agriculture is Pennsylvania's leading economic sector, generating over $132 billion in economic output annually and supporting 590,000 jobs. Preserving contiguous farmland clusters maintains the critical mass of agricultural input suppliers, grain elevators, and tractor dealerships needed for farm economies to thrive.

"Pennsylvania's family farmers feed our Commonwealth, power our economy, and care for our land," Governor Shapiro said at a multi-generational dairy farm in Lancaster County. "As our communities grow, we must protect our fertile soils from being paved over. This $85 million investment preserves 25,000 more acres of prime family farmland in perpetuity, supports modern soil health practices that protect our streams, and ensures Pennsylvania agriculture remains strong and prosperous for generations to come."

Conservation Easements and Clean Streams Grants The $85 million program finances:

• 25,000 Acres of Permanent Easements: Compensating farm families for extinguishing development rights, keeping farmland affordable for young and beginning farmers.
• ACAP Soil Health & Cover Crop Grants: $35 million in direct matching grants for farmers planting winter cover crops, installing riparian forest buffers, and building manure storage facilities.
• Chesapeake Bay Watershed Nitrogen Reductions: Targeted funding across the Susquehanna River basin to eliminate agricultural runoff and restore Chesapeake Bay water clarity.

State farm bureaus, county conservation districts, and watershed protection federations commended the governor's decisive funding, highlighting that farmland preservation sustains agricultural food security.