The Agricultural Security Areas program was signed into law on February 15, 2005, and became effective on May 18, 2005. It authorizes one or more landowners of at least 500 acres of contiguous farmland to request from the boards of township trustees and county commissioners to enroll into an Agricultural Security Area for a 10-year period. It provides certain benefits to farmers, including protection from non-agricultural development, a critical mass of land to help keep farming viable, and possible tax abatement on new real property.