The Adams County Agricultural Land Preservation Board was established to administer the Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program for the County. The Adams County Agricultural Land Preservation Program (ACALPP) purchases agricultural conservation Easements on behalf of Adams County, which restricts and limits the conversion of farmland to nonagricultural use.

Applicants must apply to the Program and are scored through the LESA scoring program. Rounds are open to applicants every other year in even years. The Program Guidelines and documents included in the applications are available below.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the public hearing scheduled for February 8, 2023 at 9:00am in the Adams County Historic Courtroom at 117 Baltimore Street in Gettysburg, PA has been cancelled.  

This meeting was being held by the Adams County Board of Commissioners to afford the general public, and in particular, adjoining landowners of the following proposed agricultural conservation easement purchases, the opportunity to be heard by presenting relevant evidence, offering testimony or cross-examining witnesses.  

Agricultural Conservation Easement Sale/Purchase of Land Belonging to Hanover Shoe Farms, Inc. and located in Union and Conewago Townships as follows:

• Conewago Township: 564 Race Horse Road and 965 Hostetter Road
• Union Township: 199 Schibert Road, 1760 Hanover Pike and in the 1600 block of Hanover Pike

The Board’s authority to review this agricultural conservation easement purchase recommendation, and the authority to challenge this recommendation, is limited.  Section 141(e)(1) of the Agricultural Security Law describes the scope of this authority:

        (1)  The County Commissioners may reject the recommendation made by a county for purchase of an agricultural conservation easement whenever:

                (i)          The recommendation does not comply with a county program certified and approved by the State Board for purchasing agricultural conservation easements.

                (ii)         Clear title cannot be conveyed.

                (iii)        The farmland which would be subject to the agricultural conservation easement is not located within a duly established agricultural security area established or recognized under this act.

                (iv)       The allocation of a county established pursuant to subsection (h) is exhausted or is insufficient to pay the purchase price.

                (v)        Compensation is not provided to owners of surface-mineable coal distributed or affected by the creation of such easement.

Interested parties will be notified and a notice will be published with the new date and time once the hearing has been rescheduled.