In 2016, Lehigh County Commissioners launched an innovative, outside-the-box program to maximize farmland preservation funding.

The program was championed in part by former County Commissioner Percy Dougherty and former Program Director Jeff Zehr.

The Municipal Partnership Program encourages local communities to contribute funds, which the county then matches.

This not only doubles the local investment but also increases our ability to leverage additional matching funds from the state.

This effort helped us surpass the historic milestone of preserving over 28,000 acres across more than 400 farms — and it continues to expand.

When the program began, some questioned whether individual communities would participate.

Over the last nine years, I’m happy to report the program has generated $2,434,765.29 in additional funding from partner communities.

So far, participating communities include Lower Macungie, Upper Macungie, Lower Milford, Upper Milford, North Whitehall, Whitehall, Upper Saucon, Heidelberg and Weisenberg — resulting in an estimated $4.5 million increase in preservation funds from the state.

Lower Macungie, an original pilot program participant, has some of the best soils in the state but also faces intense development pressure.

Now with over 1,000 acres of preserved farmland, the partnership program has enabled large, transformative preservation efforts that might not have been possible otherwise.

The program doesn’t buy farms outright but instead purchases conservation easements, compensating farmers and landowners for permanently restricting development to ensure the land remains in agriculture.

This approach protects our farming heritage while balancing growth.

Through voluntary participation and partnerships with communities and the state, Lehigh County now ranks fourth in Pennsylvania for farmland preservation — an impressive feat given that the counties ahead of us are significantly larger.

The program gives communities flexible ways to preserve farms — whether by funding costs beyond the county’s cap, co-funding lower-ranked properties or establishing independent preservation funds.

These options protect farmland while maximizing county and state matching funds.

By working together, we maximize resources to safeguard agriculture for future generations.

The program has become a model statewide, with Lehigh County Commissioners and County Executive Phillips Armstrong consistently fully funding it in recent years. If you’re a farmer or landowner interested in preserving your land, or a municipal leader looking to get your community involved, call the Lehigh County Farmland Preservation Office at 610-336-5680 to learn more.

Ron Beitler

Lehigh County Commissioner

chairman, Lehigh County Farmland Preservation Board