Way to go, Pennsylvanians! In 2009, Pennsylvania’s commonwealth and county governments invested $50 million in farmland protection. With that kind of help, Pennsylvania and its residents were able to preserve over 21,500 acres of farmland on 232 farms. That brings the state’s all-time total to 425,000 acres of protected farmland – more than any other state in the nation. Within Pennsylvania, significant all-time farmland protection milestones were also crossed this year in Berks, Bucks, Franklin and Lancaster counties. Pennsylvanians farmland protection success illustrates what can be accomplished when governments, organizations and active citizens work together to save the land that sustains us. Pennsylvania is one of only a handful of state governments with a Bureau of Farmland Protection. The state’s well-funded purchase of agricultural easement program is run through county governments with local ties that recognize the important role of agriculture in their communities, and the threat of development to their longstanding sense of place. And active citizens and non-profit groups, like the Pennsylvania Farmland Preservation Association and Lancaster Farmland Trust, work at the grassroots to organize and educate agricultural landowners and their neighbors on how to secure a bright future for farmers and farmland. We are proud of the progress that Pennsylvania has made and will continue our efforts to make this kind of success a reality in communities across the nation. If you are interested in the history of farmland protection, particularly how agriculture land trusts are able to protect our nation’s working lands, listen to this recent interview on An Organic Conversation featuring our former president and a leader in the farmland protection movement, Ralph Grossi. Or visit American Famland Trust's Pennsylvania state page About the Author: Jim Baird is Mid-Atlantic Director for the American Farmland Trust