Farmland owners have the opportunity to learn how to apply for funds from the Clean Ohio Agricultural Easement Purchase Program during upcoming information sessions offered by Cardinal Land Conservancy, local Soil & Water Conservation districts and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offices in four southwest Ohio locations.
Agricultural easements are voluntary legal agreements that restrict non-agricultural development on farmland, with the land itself remaining on the tax rolls and under private ownership and management. Landowners may undertake any agricultural activity permitted under Ohio law, and can sell their farm or pass it along as a gift to others. However, the easement remains with the deed to the land, prohibiting any future non-agricultural development. This is to make certain that the land remains used for agricultural purposes only.
Meetings will feature short presentations by Cardinal Land Conservancy experts, staff from Soil & Water Conservation offices, and NRCS staff. Meeting attendees will also have the opportunity to discuss the program with presenters, who will provide information and direction to landowners.
Cardinal Land Conservancy has been designated by the Ohio Department of Agriculture as a certified local sponsor for Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program in Adams, Brown, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton and Highland counties. It is important for attendees to connect with Cardinal Land Conservancy representatives who will submit applications to the Ohio Department of Agriculture on behalf of farmland owners.
Farm owners are invited to attend information sessions scheduled for January 2016:
• Clermont County – Thursday., Jan. 14 at 1:30 p.m. at the Clermont County Fairgrounds, 1000 Locust St., Owensville, in the Agricultural Service Center.
• Brown County – Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. in Georgetown at the Brown Soil and Water Conservation District Office at 702 S. Main St.
• Hamilton County – Thursday, Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. at the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District Office, 22 Triangle Park Dr., Cincinnati.
• Clinton County – Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. at 69 N. South St., Wilmington.
The next application round for the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Easement Purchase Program is tentatively scheduled to open on Jan. 15, 2016. For more information about the program, visit Cardinal Land Conservancy’s website at www.cardinallandconservancy.org, your county Soil & Water Conservation District, or your NRCS district conservationist. Or contact the state program at www.agri.ohio.gov/farmland. Interested parties may also contact Laura Curliss (513) 600-7171 or Larry Frimerman (513) 461-2997 of Cardinal Land Conservancy.
Submitted by Ohio Department of Agriculture.
