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As development puts pressure on agricultural land, keeping farms in production has become an important part of long-term land conservation. Ohio has taken another step in that direction, approving local sponsors to purchase agricultural easements on 58 family farms covering 5,165 acres across 36 counties.
According to a report published by Ohio’s Country Journal on October 11, 2026, the approvals allow local sponsors to pursue easement purchases intended to protect the land from future non-agricultural development while farmers retain ownership and continue working their land. Ohio has more than 111,000 acres of permanently preserved farmland across 769 family farms in 62 counties, including land protected under related programmes.
How the agricultural easement programme works
The latest approvals fall under Ohio’s Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program (LAEPP), which uses public funding to help protect farmland from being converted to other uses. The programme allows local organisations to purchase agricultural easements from farmers who voluntarily agree to keep their land in agricultural production.These easements place a permanent restriction on how the land can be used.
Farmers retain ownership and can continue working their fields, growing crops and operating their agricultural businesses. However, the land cannot simply be converted to non-agricultural development in the future. The programme is managed through local sponsors, including land trusts, county governments, townships and local soil and water conservation districts.
These organisations work with landowners to submit applications and secure funding for eligible properties.
Which farms qualify for protection?
Not every property automatically qualifies for an agricultural easement. Ohio has set eligibility requirements to ensure that the programme supports working farms and responsible land management. Generally, a farm must cover more than 40 acres or be adjacent to an already preserved farm. It must be actively farmed, participate in the Current Agricultural Use Value programme and demonstrate good stewardship of the land.
Support from local government is also required, and the programme's eligibility rules restrict applications for farms located close to development. The easements are purchased through a competitive process, meaning eligible applications must be considered for available funding rather than receiving automatic approval.For farmers, the arrangement offers a way to receive compensation for agreeing to preserve their land permanently.
Owners can use the proceeds as they choose, although some reinvest the money in their farming operations. This can help them fund improvements, support ongoing agricultural work or strengthen their businesses without giving up ownership of their property.
More than 111,000 acres now protected
The latest approvals build on two decades of farmland preservation efforts in Ohio. Between 2002 and 2025, the state preserved 100,954 acres through easements covering 689 family farms across 54 counties.
When farmland protected under related programmes is included, Ohio's total has now crossed 111,000 acres. The preserved land spans 769 family farms across 62 counties, reflecting the programme's reach beyond the latest 58 farms.The newly approved easements cover properties in 36 counties, including Auglaize, Delaware, Fairfield, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Ross, Union, Warren and Wood. The approvals therefore extend across a broad part of the state rather than concentrating preservation efforts in a single agricultural region.
Additional funding supports preservation efforts
Federal funding has also helped Ohio expand its farmland protection work. In 2026, the Ohio Department of Agriculture secured an additional $2.4 million in federal matching funds through the US Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service and its Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) component. The additional funding supports efforts to preserve more farmland through agricultural easement purchases.
Combined with funding from the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund, it supports the purchase of easements from landowners willing to enter the programme.The Clean Ohio Conservation Fund was approved by voters in 2008 and provides funding for conservation initiatives, including farmland preservation. The state is also preparing for the next round of applications. The certification period for local sponsors seeking to participate in the 2027 programme remains open through October 23, 2026.
Eligible counties, townships, cities, soil and water conservation districts and land trusts can apply to become sponsors and receive an allocation of funds for purchasing agricultural easements.Ohio's latest approvals reflect a continuing effort to keep productive farmland in agricultural use as development pressures grow. By compensating willing owners while allowing them to continue farming, the programme aims to protect the state's agricultural base for future generations without requiring farmers to sell their land outright.