Ohio Department of Agriculture announces $6M to preserve farmland across the state

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) continues to help strengthen Ohio’s top industry – food and agriculture. ODA is proud to announce that nine land trusts, seven counties or townships and 26 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).

Local sponsors include:

• Cardinal Land Conservancy (Adams, Brown, Clermont, Hamilton, Highland and Warren counties), $195,584;

• Clinton County SWCD, $167,808;

• Fayette County SWCD, $189,614; and

• Ross County SWCD, $120,285.

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 55 counties. 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 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 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, 729 family farms in 62 counties have collectively preserved more than 108,000 acres in agricultural production.

The LAEPP 2025 Summary can be viewed at: https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/OHDOA/2024/12/11/file_attac….

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