A 22-acre crop farm in Lehigh Township will be preserved, state Sen. Nick Miller, D-14th, recently announced.

By preserving the farm via the Pennsylvania Agriculture Land Preservation Board, the land at 460 Birch Drive, Walnutport, is prevented from future development. Farmers sell their land’s developmental rights, and the board protects the land from ever turning into commercial, industrial or residential properties, maintaining it as an active farm.

The farm is owned by Jason and Kelly Hankee.

“Agriculture is a critical part of our infrastructure,” Miller said. “By ensuring these farms remain in production, we are protecting some of our strongest assets.”

The preservation board announced 36 farms in 19 counties were protected, including nearly 2,800 acres of farmland in the commonwealth. Since its inception, 6,267 farms and close to 630,000 acres of farmland have been protected from commercial, industrial or residential development.

“By protecting farms, we can continue to produce necessary products right here in the Lehigh Valley and across Pennsylvania,” Miller added. “Farms are a vital part of our communities.”