The Montgomery County Planning Commission frequently receives inquiries from farmers who want to preserve their land but don't know where to start. In response to this interest in farmland preservation, the Montgomery County Agricultural Land Preservation Board and the planning commission invite farm owners and the general public to attend a webinar on December 16 at 6 p.m. to learn about the Montgomery County Agricultural Land Preservation Program.
The free webinar will provide a brief overview of the program, which purchases agricultural easements on productive farms in Montgomery County. When the easement is sold, the owner keeps the land, but the land must remain in farming in perpetuity. Applying to the program is completely voluntary and free. This event, which is focused on gathering farmer interest and gaining new applicants for permanent agricultural preservation, will offer an opportunity for participants to ask questions and discuss issues regarding farm preservation.
There are 175 farms approaching 10,000 acres preserved in Montgomery County. Pennsylvania is also a leader nationwide in farmland preservation, with over 5,700 farms and 580,000 acres preserved, and aids preserved farm owners in business planning and family transitions.
Interested participants should register by noon on December 16 to attend the webinar. The Zoom webinar information will be provided on the registration confirmation web page and will also be emailed to all registrants on the day of the event. The webinar will be recorded and posted at www.montcopa.org/FarmlandProgram.
Please direct all questions to Steve Zbyszinski (610-278-5960).