This week, the Ohio Department of Agriculture announced that eight land trusts, four counties, one township and ten Soil and Water Conservation Districts will receive funding to help preserve farmland across the state. Richland County is among 20 counties becoming eligible for funding through the Western Reserve Land Conservancy.
These organizations will receive allocations from the Clean Ohio Fund to select, close and monitor easements under the Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program (LAEPP). LAEPP sponsor organizations will accept applications from Ohio landowners interested in selling an agricultural easement on their farms.
A total of $8.56 million will be made available in this funding round. Local sponsors have been certified to accept applications in 40 counties; interested landowners should contact the certified local sponsor in their county for application details.
The program allows landowners to voluntarily sell easements on their farms to the state of Ohio. The easement requires the farm remain permanently 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 most 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, 401 family farms in 58 counties have collectively preserved more than 67,000 acres in agricultural production. For more information on Ohio’s farmland preservation effort visit: http://www.agri.ohio.gov/divs/FarmLand/.
The Western Reserve Land Conservancy received $372,088 for easement efforts in Ashland, Ashtabula, Carroll, Columbiana, Erie, Geauga, Holmes, Huron, Jefferson, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas and Wayne Counties.
