Beaver County Agricultural Land Preservation

The Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program Was Developed To Strengthen Pennsylvania's Agricultural Economy And Protect Prime Farmland. This Program Enables State, County And Local Governments To Purchase Conservation Easements From Farmers. The Program Was Approved In 1988 And The First Easement Was Purchased In December Of 1989. Pennsylvania Is The Number One State In The Country In The Preservation Of Farmland. 

About the Beaver County ALPB

The Beaver County Agricultural Land Preservation Board (ALPB) was established by the Beaver County Board of Commissioners at a public meeting on June 29, 1995 and at the public meeting on August 17, 1995 a nine member board was appointed. Each member is appointed to a three year term. The Board consists of four farmers, one contractor, one elected municipal government official and three members at large. Since the ALPB was appointed, it has accepted voluntary applications from qualifying Beaver County landowners and as of January 20, 2017 the ALPB has preserved 2,832 acres on 26 farms. Currently there are two farm in progress and thirteen farms on the waiting list. This program will allow qualified landowners to voluntarily submit an application to preserve their land from future development in perpetuity. After receiving the application, the Board will rank each farm’s application, using the ranking criteria created by the State and local Board. Funding for this program is allocated by State, County, Local Municipalities and the Federal.

The Beaver County Agricultural Land Preservation Board have developed fair, equitable, objective, non-discriminatory procedures for determining easement purchase priorities and has adopted written policies and guidelines for purchasing easements. The Beaver County Agricultural Land Preservation Board accepts new applications during the fourth quarter of each calendar year.

Furthermore, it is the purpose of this program to:

• Encourage landowners to make a long-term commitment to agriculture by offering them financial incentives and security of land use.
• Protect normal farming operations in agricultural security areas from incompatible non-farmland uses that may render farming impracticable.
• Protect farming operations from complaints of public nuisance against normal farming operations.
• Assure conservation of viable agricultural lands in order to protect the agricultural economy of this Commonwealth.
• Provide compensation to landowners in exchange for their relinquishment of the right to develop their private property.
• Maximize agricultural easement purchase funds and protect the investment of taxpayers in agricultural conservation easements.
• Preserve Beaver County agricultural productivity by buying easements on land most logically to remain as farmland in lieu of buying easements on land close to encroaching residential or commercial development.

Agricultural Land Preservation