ODA Announces 2026 Local Agricultural Easements Approved for Purchase
Conservation, funding and grants, policy, rural life
FARMLAND PRESERVATION ...
The Ohio Department of Agriculture is proud to announce the approval for local sponsors to purchase agricultural easements on 58 family farms representing 5,165 acres in 36 counties. (Meredith Petrick, Unsplash)
Key Points:
- Local sponsors: Land trusts, counties, townships, and local soil and water conservation districts.
- Funding: Clean Ohio Fund.
- Program: Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program (LAEPP).
- Purpose: Ensure farms remain permanently in agricultural production.
- Eligible farms: Larger than 40 acres, actively engaged in farming, participating in Current Agricultural Use Value program, good stewardship, local government support.
- Landowner options: Reinvest proceeds in farm operation or other uses.
Since 2002, the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund has helped preserve 100,954 acres across 689 family farms in 54 counties. Permanent easements brought the total preserved acres to more than 111,000 across 769 farms in 62 counties.
In 2026, ODA secured an additional $2.4 million from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Agriculture Conservation Easement Program – Agriculture Land Easement.
** Counties with 2026 easements approved:**
- Auglaize
- Brown
- Carroll
- Champaign
- Clark
- Clinton
- Darke
- Delaware
- Erie
- Fairfield
- Fayette
- Fulton
- Gallia
- Greene
- Hancock
- Knox
- Licking
- Logan
- Madison
- Marion
- Miami
- Montgomery
- Morrow
- Muskingum