When I was elected, people told me to make sure I take care of the farmers. The state provides the funding and has final authority. More than 1,000 farmers in Pennsylvania are on a waiting list, having asked to sell their land for farmland preservation. Some have been waiting for as long as five years. Hershey said that he waited in line along with other farmers to sell his property.
Prices depend on the county, the location of the farm and property values.
The preservation program is not the only example of farmers writing agriculture bills. Farmers wrote legislation to help farms duck nuisance lawsuits. Hershey makes no apology. He said he ran for the legislature in 1981 because he believed farmers' needs were being ignored. The state-funded program pays farmers to enter into agreements that prevent all future owners of the land from developing it.