Farmland preservation

Counties, soil and water conservation districts, land trusts, cities and townships are invited to apply to the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Office of Farmland Preservation for local sponsor certification through Oct. 14.
Local sponsors that complete the certification application and qualify will be allocated a portion of the funding available in Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program 2023 funds. These funds are used to purchase agricultural easements on Ohio farms, preserving productive agricultural farmland.
Certified local sponsors will then accept local landowner applications and help secure easements through ODA’s Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program. Once the easement is secured, the local sponsor visits the farm once a year to complete a monitoring report to ensure the land is being used for agricultural purposes.
The application is available on ODA’s local sponsor page. Any organization interested in being a local sponsor for the 2023 landowner application year must apply during this time period.
If you have questions, please contact the Farmland Preservation Office at 614 728-6238 or farmlandpres@agri.ohio.gov.