Ohio Department of Agriculture announces $6M to preserve Ohio farmland

Mansfield News Journal
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REYNOLDSBURG - The Ohio Department of Agriculture has announced nine land trusts, seven counties or townships and 25 Soil and Water Conservation Districts will receive funding to help preserve farmland across the state. These organizations will receive allocations from the Clean Ohio Fund to select, close and monitor easements under the Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program (LAEPP).

Among the recipients is the Richland County Soil and Water Conservation District, which was awarded $120,655, the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District, which will receive $178,177, and the Western Reserve Land Conservancy serving Crawford, Holmes, Huron and Medina counties, which is getting $230,690.

Ohio landowners interested in selling an agricultural easement on their farms can fill out an application with their LAEPP sponsor organization. A total of $6 million will be made available in this round of funding. Local sponsors have been certified to accept applications in 51 counties. Landowners should contact the certified local sponsor in their county for application details.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Easement Purchase Program allows farm owners to permanently preserve farmland across the state.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Easement Purchase Program allows farm owners to permanently preserve farmland across the state.

The program allows landowners to voluntarily sell easements on their farms to the state of Ohio.The easement requires the farm permanently remain in agriculture production. Selected farms must be 40 acres or more, actively engaged in farming, participate in the Current Agricultural Use Valuation program, demonstrate good stewardship of the land, have the support of their local government, and not lay directly in the path of development. Landowners may use the proceeds of the easement in any way they wish, but must reinvest it in their farm operations.

Funding for the program is derived from the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund, approved by voters in 2008. When combined with easements from all programs, 704 family farms in 62 counties have collectively preserved more than 105,000 acres in agricultural production.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Ohio Department of Agriculture awards area farmland preservation funds