Greene farmland preservation board accepting applications
The Greene County Farmland Preservation Board of Directors is accepting applications until April 1 from landowners who are interested in being considered for the agricultural conservation easement program. The agricultural conservation easement can permanently protect a family’s farmland from being lost to future non-agricultural development.
The agriculture conservation easement is an interest in land that represents the right to prevent development or improvement of a parcel for any purpose other than agricultural production. The easement may be granted by a farmland owner to the commonwealth, a county agricultural land preservation program, a local government unit or a local land trust.
To be eligible a landowner must be enrolled in an approved agricultural security area consisting of at least 500 acres, have at least 50 contiguous acres, have at least 50% of the soils on the parcel under consideration in soil capability classes I-IV (as defined by the Web Soil Survey), be available for agricultural production and contain the greater of 50% or 10 acres of harvested cropland, pasture or grazing land.
The landowner needs to provide ownership verification to the surface mineral rights on the parcel being considered. After ranking according to the farmland preservation bylaws, the highest ranked farm, if they wish to continue, will pay a $2,000 good faith deposit, which will be returned only when the easement process is completed.
Contact the preservation board for an application or more information on eligibly requirements at 724-852-5278, e-mail gccd@co.greene.pa.us or visit during office hours at 22 West High St., Waynesburg. Office hours are Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.