Chester County recently signed agreements to preserve its 500th farm through its open space preservation program.
The total number of farm acres preserved in the county is now nearly 40,000. In total, more than 136,000 acres, 28 percent of the land in Chester County, have been preserved since the open space preservation program began in 1989.
The 500th preserved farm is a 109-acre farm located in Upper Oxford and West Fallowfield Townships and owned by Gerald and Cindy Rohrer. It has been a family farm since 1966.
“Chester County has been actively investing in open space for nearly 30 years, and that decision is now paying dividends in ways that I believe the original County Commissioners who started the program would not have thought possible,” Commissioners’ Chair Michelle Kichline said.
Farm preservation in Chester County is based on an agricultural conservation easement. Farms that are 10 acres or more are eligible for the program if they are adjacent to permanently preserved land. Farms not adjacent to permanently preserved land must be at least 50 acres for the Commonwealth/County program and 25 acres for the Municipal Challenge Grant program.
“Nearly 30 years ago, with the backing of its citizens, Chester County created and funded one of the most comprehensive and sustained efforts in the nation to preserve open space,” Commissioner Terence Farrell said. “It has helped to define Chester County’s high quality of life, and we, as the current Board of Commissioners, are pleased to continue these preservation efforts as an intrinsic part of our plan for current and future growth.”