The Ohio Department of Agriculture announced on June 4 that it would approve of local sponsors purchasing agricultural easements on 54 family farms. These farms represent a total of 7,512 acres in 26 counties across the state.
The easement supports the agricultural industry by ensuring that farms remain permanently in production. Sponsoring organizations include land trusts and counties, which receive funding from the Clean Ohio Fund to manage the purchase program.
James Brahler, a 53-year-old farm owner, told the Times Reporter that he has applied for inclusion in the purchase program.
“We’ve got to save the farms, no doubt about it,” Brahler explained to the news source. “They keep cutting them up for houses. Then, the city people come out here and I don’t think they understand.”
In order to be eligible for the program, farms must be more than 40 acres in size, or adjacent to a preserved farm. It must also be actively participating in farming activities, or its owners must participate in the Current Agricultural Use Value program.
Farms must show good stewardship of the land and have local support from the government. Furthermore, it may not be located next to an upcoming development.
Ohio communities can apply to be Certified Local Sponsors next year between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15 of this year.
Between 2002 and 2014, a total of 247 family farms have worked to preserve 45,576 acres of land responsible for agricultural production. Food and agriculture is currently Ohio’s largest industry.