25 S Garfield Rd, Bernville, PA 19506

Agricultural Preservation District

The purposes of the Effective Agricultural Preservation District are: To protect and promote the continuation of agriculture in areas with primary agricultural lands, per the Governor's Executive Order of October 14, 1997. Those areas being Preserved Farmland, Farmland in Agricultural Security Areas, Farmland enrolled in Act 319 of 1974 as amended Clean and Green, and Land Capability Classes I, II, III and IV and other soils of statewide importance as defined by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. To support the Governor's Executive Order regarding the irreversible conversion of primary agricultural land to uses that result in its loss as an environmental and essential food and fiber resource across the State of Pennsylvania. To strengthen and preserve strong agricultural activity where farming is a viable component of the local economy. To promote agricultural land uses and activities and other uses and activities which act in direct support of agriculture. To protect and stabilize the essential characteristics of these areas, to minimize conflicting land uses detrimental to agriculture enterprises, and to limit development which requires highways and other public facilities in excess of those required by agricultural uses. To maintain, protect and stabilize agriculture as an ongoing economic activity by permitting only those land uses and activities which are either agricultural in nature or act in direct support thereof.