Berks County Surpasses 50,000 Acres in Preserved Farmland

          Harrisburg, October 22, 2007 -- At a special meeting of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board held at the Benjamin and Patricia Scheffler Farm in Upper Bern Township on Friday, an additional 1,338 acres of Berks County farmland will be preserved through the purchase of conservation easements valued at more than $3.2 million, according to State Senator Michael A. O’Pake, a Preservation Board Member.
          According to Senator O’Pake, the following family farms will be preserved:
Family                                                        Municipality                             # of acres preserved

John & Darlene Bicksler                             Tulpehocken Twp.                             66.1 acres

Eric Bomberger                                         Bethel Twp.                                    103.8 acres

Burkeholder Family                                    Rockland Twp.                                 60.3 acres

Larry & Susan Hartranft                             Tulpehocken Twp.                            65.1 acres

Mark & Tammy Landis                               Tulpehocken Twp.                            36.2 acres

Joseph Maleski                                          Windsor Twp.                                113.1 acres

Clyde and Hilda Martin                               Bethel Twp.                                   132.4 acres

Kevin & Eilene Martin                                 Jefferson Twp.                                27.8 acres

Mil-Joy Farm                                             Perry Twp.                                     24.5 acres

Ernest Miller                                             Greenwich Twp.                            223.8 acres

Harry & Elda Shaak                                   Tilden & Upper Bern Twps.            237.8 acres

Ronald Snyder                                          Albany Twp.                                 141.8 acres

Anthony & Steven Weinsteiger                   District Twp.                                   64.6 acres

Joyce Zweizig                                            Perry Twp.                                    41.3 acres

                                                                                          Total              1,338.6 acres 

                  Senator O’Pake explained that statewide 3,348 farms totaling 372,676 acres have been preserved since the program’s inception.  In Berks County, 484 farms consisting of 52,509 acres have been preserved.  Berks County has preserved more acreage of farmland than any other county in the state program and recently catapulted to third in the nation.

                  The Board meeting was held in Berks County to celebrate the preservation of over 50,000 acres in the county which was achieved when the Scheffler Farm was approved at their June 21^st meeting.

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