Question about hunting on land enrolled in clean and green?

[Songdog2012]

Hello, I understand not all of us are lawyers here but I figured someone else has looked into this situation at some point in time. I live in southcentral PA, and am haveing trouble finding a straight answer to my questions.

A local farm that I have hunted has been sold recently, this farm has been enrolled in the clean and green program. For anyone unfarmiliar with this program, it allows HUGE tax breaks for landowners that have atleast 10 acres of land and set it up for agricultural use only. From what I am reading this program allows for recreational use by the public, hunting, fishing, birdwatching ect. Because of the huge tax breaks the land owner recieves from the state. Im talking like I own 1/2 an acre right beside this farm and my property taxes are 1500.00 dollars a year and the taxes on the farm in question are 400.00 a year for 216 acres!

This land owner recieves all of these tax breaks, and still posts his property up tight, and also leeses it out to a hunting club for 4000.00 dollars a year!! Is this legal? I read in the rules reguarding this program says- the only money that can be made off of the enrolled land has to come from FARMING only.

If this is the case why wouldnt everyone who owns a farm of over 10 acres do this? Something smells bad with this whole situation! Anyone else live in pa and know anything about this? If this is a legal practice i will stand corrected, thanks.

[Devastator]

Ive heard of this clean and green for years but do not know all the rules of it.Hope someone can answer your question,im interested to know myself.

[Devastator]

MUST I ALLOW PUBLIC ACCESS TO MY CLEAN AND GREEN PROPERTY?
Agricultural Reserve is the only category that needs to remain open to the public for passive recreational uses free-of-charge on a non-discriminatory basis. A landowner may place reasonable restrictions on this, however. Examples include: limiting access after dark, prohibiting hunting and rest
ricting use of motorized vehicles.


Just look this up hope it helps,i just googled clean and green.Good luck.

[Songdog2012]

Thanks for the replies, i have looked up a few sites regarding this but just dont understand. I am not as worried what a person is doing with their private land, but if they are recieving huge tax breaks that the rest of us are making up the difference on, and then able to leese the land out at a premium price to hunting clubs this is not right at all!

If this is the case any money made aside from farming should have to be used towards their taxes! Hell the rest of us have to pay them and we arent makeing any money off of our land! If what he is doing is legal, so be it, but more and more properties are being posted every day.

These people are getting alot in return for nothing most of the time, and alot of the time its not the older farmers, its the yuppies that these farms are being passed down to. Looks like i need to stop by my local courthouse tomorrow and inquire directly about these practices!

[Devastator]

Let us know how ya make out.