The Chester County Commissioners recently approved the preservation of the 101-acre Kavanagh Farm in Upper Oxford Township. The County's Department of Parks + Preservation partnered with Upper Oxford Township to acquire the easement rights from the estate of Paul A. Kavanagh Jr. at a cost of more than $523,800.  

The Chester County Commissioners, Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Michelle Kichline, said in a statement,  "The preservation of the Kavanagh Farm is a testament to the power of collaboration and the commitment of our community to preserving farmland. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Kavanagh family for their stewardship of this land over the past 70 years. This achievement also represents Chester County’s unwavering commitment to preserving our community’s natural beauty and environmental sustainability."

The Kavanagh family purchased the farmland – originally an old grist mill – in 1956, and two generations have farmed the land since then. Chester County provided 55 percent of the farm preservation funding, with Upper Oxford Township contributing 45 percent. 

The deadline is approaching to apply for the Chester County Agricultural Land Preservation Board’s agricultural land preservation programs – the Commonwealth/County Program and the Chester County Challenge Grant Program. To date, these programs have preserved more than 570 farms in Chester County, totaling over 44,000 acres.

Interested farm owners are encouraged to apply by Aug. 4. Applications and program guidelines can be found at www.chesco.org/4618/Farmland-Preservation. For further inquiries, contact Geoff Shellington, Chester County Agricultural Programs Coordinator, at 610-344-6504 or via email at [email protected].