PA Agriculture Department to Host Workshops Aimed at Keeping Preserved Farms Profitable

Two Workshops to be Held May 20 in Lebanon County

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Farm owners who have sold their development rights to preserve the land they work in perpetuity are invited to two free workshops in Lebanon County that are focused on keeping that land profitable, said Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding today.

The workshops, one of which will also address the need to plan for transitioning the farm once an owner retires, are scheduled for May 20 at Lebanon County's Penn State Cooperative Extension Office, 2120 Cornwall Drive, Lebanon.

"Pennsylvania leads the nation in farmland preservation, and I thank the nearly 4,000 farm families who have taken the step to preserve their farms permanently," said Redding. "Preserved farm owners not only set aside their land for future agricultural production, they also make a commitment to keep their farm business viable – regardless of who may later own or work the land.

"It is critical that owners of preserved farm be equipped with the tools they need to successfully transition their operations to the next generation of farmers so that we can continue to keep Pennsylvania growing."

The first workshop, "Keeping the Preserved Farm Profitable," is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and will help farm owners identify unique issues affecting preserved farms and highlight opportunities to maintain the farm as a profitable business. The second session, "How to Locate a Successor for the Preserved Farm," will take place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and will focus on transition planning, including farm and owner readiness, questions to consider when transferring ownership, and locating potential successors.

The free workshops are sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Center for Farm Transitions and Bureau of Farmland Preservation, along with PA FarmLink and Penn State Cooperative Extension in Lebanon County. Registration is required due to space limitations. For more information or to register, contact Dennis Hall at [email protected] or 877-475-2686.

The state's farmland preservation program works through the Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program, which was developed in 1988 to help curb the loss of prime farmland to non-agricultural uses. Since the program's creation, Pennsylvania has preserved 433,776 acres on 3,982 farms, more than any state in the nation. For more information about farmland preservation, visit www.agriculture.state.pa.us and search "Farmland Preservation" or call 717-783-3167.

Preserved farm owners can find resources on how to transition their operation to new markets or future generations by contacting the Center for Farm Transitions at www.IPlanToFarm.com or 1-877-475-2686.

Media contact: Nicole L. C. Bucher, 717-787-5085

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture