LEBANON, Conn. (AP) Connecticut agriculture officials are marking a milestone in farmland preservation.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Agriculture Commissioner Steven K. Reviczky are scheduled to join hundreds of Connecticut farm families at the Farmland Preservation Celebration on the Lebanon Green on Saturday.

The event will mark the work by the Department of Agriculture and its partners protecting 300 farms and 40,000 acres from development.

The program was established in 1978 as one of the first in the nation. It allows farmers to convey development rights to the state while still owning and working the land. Owners also may convey their land to others, but a permanent deed restriction assures the property will remain available for agricultural production.