With the signing of an agricultural conservation easement this week, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) has ensured that 145 acres of its New Bolton Center Campus will be protected from development and will continue the area’s agricultural tradition.

The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County, a nonprofit charitable organization based in Kennett Square, Pa., will administer the easement during its 25-year term.

"This was a wonderful opportunity for Penn Vet to continue the positive relationship we have with the Chester County community," said Corinne Sweeney, associate dean for New Bolton Center. "The easement will help sustain the area’s long and proud agricultural heritage. We’re so pleased to be a part of it."

The parcel of land placed under the easement–comprising nearly a quarter of the New Bolton Center’s 687-acre campus–is currently used as cropland and pastureland. The easement ensures that these traditional uses will endure, while restricting non-agricultural development