(WHTM)-- The Department of Agriculture announced it has invested $8.8 million into Pennsylvania farms, including some in the Midstate, to help ensure they stay farms forever.

The joint investment between state and local government was to purchase the development rights for 2,017 acres on 33 farms across 16 counties, according to the Ag Department.

The deal was part of an effort to protect farms from residential or commercial development by ensuring farmers have the land they need to continue supporting their families and economy, per the Shapiro Administration.

The administration has invested $134 million to preserve 448 farms and 37,194 prime acres of farmland across Pennsylvania.

“When farms are replaced by warehouses or housing developments, they are gone forever,” Agriculture Secre

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