Pennsylvania Achieves Farmland Preservation Milestone, Governor Rendell Says

Westmoreland County Reaches 9,000 Acres Preserved

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Farmland
Preservation Board set a new record today by preserving the state's 3,500th
farm, Governor Edward G. Rendell announced today.

The approved farmland included four Westmoreland County farms, which gives the
county 9,268 acres preserved on 66 farms since 1991.

"Pennsylvania's farmland preservation program leads the nation, allowing
production agriculture to remain a viable industry in the state," said
Governor Rendell. "Because of agriculture's importance to Pennsylvania's
economy and its place as the state's number one industry, every measure must
be taken to secure its future for the benefit of our producers and consumers."

The achievement was celebrated at the Phillip Long Farm, a 336-acre crop farm
that was approved for preservation in 2005. The 71 farms preserved today are
located in 20 counties: Beaver, Berks, Bucks, Bradford, Chester, Clinton,
Columbia, Cumberland, Erie, Franklin, Indiana, Lancaster, Lehigh, Mercer,
Northampton, Schuylkill, Tioga, Union, Westmoreland, and York.

"We are extremely proud to announce the preservation of more than 3,500 farms
in Pennsylvania, and 9,000 acres in Westmoreland County," said Agriculture
Secretary Dennis Wolff. "The commonwealth has earned an outstanding
reputation for our agricultural products, and that reputation has been
extended to our farmland preservation program, ensuring that agricultural land
will be available for the next generation of farmers."

Pennsylvania is the national leader in farmland preservation, covering 3,521
farms and 389,247 acres. Since 1988, state and federal funds, along with
counties and local municipalities, have contributed more than $1 billion to
preserve farmland.

The state's farmland preservation program works through the Pennsylvania
Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program, which was developed 20
years ago to help slow the loss of prime farmland to non-agricultural uses.
The program enables state, county and local governments to purchase
conservation easements, also called development rights, from owners of quality
farmland.

For more information on the farmland preservation program, visit
http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us and click on 'Producers.'

The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public
education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing
economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out
more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly
newsletter, visit http://www.governor.state.pa.us.

CONTACT: Teresa Candori
717-783-1116

Nicole L. Cullison (Ag)
717-787-5085

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

Teresa Candori of Pennsylvania Office of the Governor, +1-717-783-1116; or
Nicole L. Cullison of Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, +1-717-787-5085