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It’s one of those things that falls under most people’s radar, yet should be near the top of everyone’s concerns: Farmland preservation.

The trend for decades has been sadly predictable. Farming in general became the domain of ever-larger agri-business, with much of our food coming from large operations in the midwest. Small family farms disappear as a new generation decides they have other interests, or simply can’t resist the money offered by developers looking to construct new housing or new factories.

The problem always has been simple: Once farmland is developed, it’s usually gone forever. Even if we wanted to convert back to farming, the construction destroys the traits in the soil that made it arable.

That’s why we welcome last week’s news that Pennsylvania invested $6.4 million to protect 1,969 acres on 26 farms in 12 counties — including Luzerne County — from future development. According to a media release from the state Department of Agriculture, the move means 608,091 acres on 6,004 farms are now “forever protected from commercial, industrial or residential development.

“Pennsylvania farmers face tremendous pressure to sell their valuable land to developers,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in the release. “Many of these families have farmed through generations of hardships and uncertainty, but they are committed to ensuring their legacy continues and Pennsylvania has the resources to feed future generations.

“Pennsylvania is home to some of the most fertile, non-irrigated soil in the nation, and we have been the most successful of any state in at protecting our prime farmland. This is one of our most important investments in feeding our families and our economy in years to come.”

In Luzerne County, the state invested $463,720 in a 133-acre crop farm, according to the release. Overall, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2017 Census of Agriculture, Luzerne County had 451 farms with combined acreage of 49,807.

The same source notes that, while the average size of farms in our county is only 109 acres, the market value of products sole was nearly $17.8 million. Three-quarters of sales are from crops, with 25% from “livestock, poultry and products.”

Along with providing us with farm fresh goods, these farms provide work and value to the families that run them. The USDA census from 2017 listed 735 “producers,” most of them (493) men.

Age is a statistic of concern: 303 of the producers were 65 or older, with another 394 from 35 to 64. A scant 28 were under the age of 35.

Which is a big reason these preservation programs are so valuable: They provide incentive for a younger generation to stay, literally, on the farm. By providing a financial incentive, the state and other governments and agencies involved in such programs reduce the incentive to sell to developers.

“The program guarantees a future food supply and contributes to a healthier economy,” the state Department of Agriculture website notes. ” It also assures a way of life Pennsylvanian’s cherish will continue for generations to come.”

We need farms to live, it’s that simple. Farm preservation is self-preservation, statewide and in our own backyards.

— Times Leader