Bradford County Conservation District
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Farmland Preservation

Preserving farmland today, protecting our future 
APPLICATION    |    FAQ'S    |     DONATE TODAY    

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For More Information Contact
Glenn Bell

570-485-3130
​Email
Board of Directors
Farmer Directors
Brian Zeidner - Chairman
Roy Thomas
​Matthew McClellan
Elected Official Member
Marvin Meteer
Contractor Member
Krystle Bristol
At Large Members
Raul Azpiazu
Nicole Harris
Amberleigh Packard
2025 Meeting Dates: February 18th, May 13th (Postponed), August 19th, November 18th at 1:00 PM
Location: Stoll Natural Resource Center, 200 Lake Road, Towanda PA 18848

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The missions of the Program and Board is to protect viable agricultural land and preserve farming heritage and opportunity for the future through the purchase of agricultural conservation easements.
Pennsylvania Agricultural Statistics have shown a steady decrease in the size and number of farms in Bradford County since the turn of the century. At the same time, there has been an increase in development.
One factor is the trend toward bigger residential lots away from urban centers. This often puts increasing pressure on farmers to sell out due to the dissimilarity between the agricultural value of their land and the higher development value. With that, the viability of agriculture, its economy, and many other values associated with a farm community hang in the balance.


Bradford County Facts
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Since its beginning, the Bradford County Agricultural Land Preservation Program has allocated over $4 million dollars protecting farmland and the future of our county's agricultural heritage.
-Bradford County's Agricultural Land Preservation Program and Board were established by the County Commissioners in 2001.
-As of 2021, 19 farms have been protected, totaling over 4,661 acres.
-There are a total of 33 Agricultural Security Areas (ASA) located within Bradford County.
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-The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program was developed in 1988 under an amendment to the ASA Law, Act 43 of 1981. This program is currently funded by a 2-cent tax per pack of cigarettes sold in the state, which annually generates approximately $20 million

 WHY IS PRESERVING FARMLAND IMPORTANT?
     1. Farmland is a rapidly disappearing resource.
     2. Local farms provide fresh food at a reasonable cost.
     3. Protecting local farmland keeps property taxes down.
     4. Preserved farmland protects local scenery and promotes local tourism.
     5. Local farm businesses support farm and farm related jobs.
     6. Locally protected farms benefit the environment.
2024 Meeting Minutes
February 18th
*To be posted
​
Meeting Minutes
May 13th
*To be posted
​
Meeting Minutes
August 19th
*To be posted
​
Meeting Minutes
November 18th
*To be posted
​
Meeting Minutes

In the News
Disappearing farmland — can we save it?

243 Acres of Farmland Preserved in Bradford County

Sustaining heritage: Conservation District seeks to preserve Bradford County agriculture land

​161 acres of farmland preserved in Bradford County
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Minimum Criteria for Applications

1.   The farm must be located in a duly recorded agricultural security area which has at least 500 acres enrolled.

2.   The farm must contain at least 50% of soils which are available for agricultural production and are of Land Capability Classes I-IV as defined by the USDA-NRCS.

 3.   The farm must contain the greater of 50% or 10 acres of harvested cropland, pasture or grazing lands.

 4.   Be contiguous acreage of at least 50 acres in size unless the tract is at least 10 acres in size and is either utilized for a crop unique to the area or is contiguous to a property which has a perpetual conservation easement in place which is held by a "qualified conservation organization" as that term is defined at section 170(h)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C.A § 170(h)(3)).
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For more information about Agricultural Security Areas visit http://www.agriculture.pa.gov click on Programs then search by Program Name for "Agricultural Security Area (ASA)"
Bradford County Conservation District
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​Stoll Natural Resource Center
200 Lake Road, Suite E | Towanda PA 18848
Phone: (570)-485-3144
Programs
Agriculture and Soils
Dirt Gravel & Low Volume Roads
Education
Forestry

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  • Home
  • About
    • Our Team
    • History
    • Careers
    • Board Meetings
    • Right to Know Request
    • BCCD Earth Day
  • Programs
    • Agriculture & Soils >
      • Woodchip Barnyard Project
      • No Till Garden
      • Interseeder
      • Farmland Preservation
      • Women in Agriculture Day
    • Dirt, Gravel & Low Volume Roads
    • Education >
      • Scholarship Opportunities
      • Envirothon
      • Conservation Field Day
    • Environmental Permitting >
      • Chapter 102
      • Chapter 105
    • Forestry >
      • Spotted Lanternfly
    • Watershed Restoration >
      • Pond & Lake Management
      • Stream Crossing Replacements
    • West Nile Virus
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Contact