Ghanbari Encourages Entities to Apply for Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program

State Rep. Haraz N. Ghanbari (R-Perrysburg) announces that entities can now apply for the 2022 Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program. Those eligible to apply include counties, soil and water conservation districts, land trusts, cities and townships. 

Local entities have the chance to apply for the local sponsor certification from Sept. 20 until Oct. 22 of this year.

“Wood County is enriched with land of agricultural prosperity and we should do what we can to encourage the preservation of our farmland throughout our communities,” Ghanbari said.

Entities that complete the certification application and qualify will be designated a part of the $6.5 million in Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program 2022 funds. The funding is used to purchase agricultural easements on Ohio farms, preserving productive agricultural farmland in perpetuity.

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.

Organizations interested in being a local sponsor for the 2022 landowner application year can contact the Farmland Preservation Office at (614) 728-6238 or at farmlandpres@agri.ohio.gov. Local sponsors that applied in 2020 do not need to reapply.