ASA Definitions and Benefits

The ASA Program is voluntary for farmers/landowners. Petitions are submitted to township supervisors.  Guidelines for the Program include:

The ASA is reviewed every seven years however; new parcels of farmland may be added to an established ASA at any time.

A minimum of 250 acres from among all the participating farmers is required.

An ASA may include non-adjacent farmland parcels of at least ten acres or be able to produce $2000 annually from the sale of agricultural products.

Participants receive special consideration regarding:

  Local ordinances affecting farming activities.

  Nuisance complaints.

  Review of farmland condemnation by state and local government
   agencies.

An ASA qualifies land for consideration under the Easement Purchase Program at the landowner’s request, if the ASA has at least 500 acres enrolled.

The benefits of enrollment are: 

• Prerequisite for applying to the county farmland preservation program
• Protection against local nuisance ordinances related to farming activity
• Oversight in certain cases of eminent domain.

Additional information can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section (pages 26 – 29) of the ASA Handbook.