Two Bucks County farms — including one in Buckingham Township — will be permanently preserved as part of a statewide effort to protect agricultural land from future development, state officials announced.
The Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board approved more than $10.2 million in funding to secure development rights on 31 farms across 20 counties, including two properties in Bucks County totaling nearly $601,000 in investment.
Locally, a 32-acre crop farm owned by Debra A. and Frank Ripp Jr. in Buckingham Township was preserved alongside a 17-acre farm owned by Gary G. and Linda K. Bender in Milford Township.
The funding ensures the land will remain dedicated to agricultural use and cannot be sold for residential or commercial development.
The preservation effort is part of Pennsylvania’s long-running Farmland Preservation Program, which partners with counties and municipalities to purchase development rights from farmers. By doing so, the program helps maintain open space, support local food production, and protect farmland from development pressures.
Bucks County’s investment was largely supported by state funding, with more than $572,000 contributed by the Commonwealth and a smaller portion provided at the county level.
State officials said the program continues to play a key role in sustaining Pennsylvania’s agricultural industry, which remains a major economic driver across the region. Since its creation in 1988, the program has preserved more than 6,700 farms and over 665,000 acres statewide.
The latest approvals come as demand for farmland preservation remains strong, particularly in fast-growing suburban areas like Bucks County, where development pressures continue to impact available agricultural land.
