ODA Welcomes 22 More Farmers to Farmland Preservation Program

More Ohio farmland will remain in productive agricultural use. The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is proud to announce more than 2,000 acres have been added to the Farmland Preservation Program. Twenty-two farmers and farm families joined the program to end 2024, bringing the yearly total to 36.

Name	Acreage	County	Sponsor	Name	Acreage	County	Sponsor
Furbee	323	Madison	Madison County Commissioners	Rogers Trust	85	Union	Union County Commissioners
E&M Land	104	Knox	Philander Chase Conservancy	Hahn Trust	82	Wayne	Wayne County Commissioners
Bricker	78	Seneca	Seneca SWCD	Fletcher & Dye	84	Knox	Owl Creek Conservancy
Warnement	39	Seneca	Seneca SWCD	Fletcher & Dye	74	Knox	Owl Creek Conservancy
Voge	82	Preble	Three Valley Conservation	Henry	112	Madison	Madison County Commissioners
Myers Trust	85	Muskingum	Muskingum SWCD	Lill	49	Marion	Marion SWCD
Overmyer	100	Ottawa	Ottawa SWCD	Swick-Brown and Ritchey Wilson	131	Marion	Marion SWCD
Humberger	80	Ottawa	Ottawa SWCD	Hall Trusts	69	Logan	Logan County Land Trust
Lane	77	Fulton	Fulton SWCD	Strayer	49	Allen	West Central Ohio Land Conservancy
Winchell Trust	116	Portage	Natural Areas Land Conservancy	Winner	64	Logan	Logan County Land Trust
Falb	79	Wayne	Western Reserve Land Conservancy	McKee	107	Knox	Philander Chase Conservancy

An agricultural easement in Farmland Preservation is a voluntary agreement between the landowner and ODA, where the landowner agrees to perpetually maintain the land predominately in agricultural use. In exchange, the landowner is either compensated or may be entitled to a tax deduction.

In partnership with ODA, the local sponsors listed above played significant roles in securing these agreements.

Since the Office of Farmland Preservation began in 1998, 745 farms totaling 109,341 acres have entered into agreements. This enables Ohio to continually be a top producer, aiding not just Ohioans, but all Americans.

Funds from the purchase of these easements are invested in the local economy by the landowners who use them by expanding their farming operations, purchasing new equipment, reducing debt, adding conservation practices, planning for retirement, sending their children to college or for other purposes. When the state purchases a farmland easement, the proceeds are plowed into Ohio’s economy and our agriculture industry is preserved for future generations.