REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio – Ohio’s Farmland Preservation Advisory Board recently recommended 14 farms for farmland preservation funding to Ohio Agriculture Director Fred L. Dailey.
A total of $3.1 million from the Clean Ohio Fund Clean will be used to purchase agricultural easements on these farms to preserve them in perpetuity.
Pending review. The Ohio Department of Agriculture plans to purchase agricultural easements from the top 14 eligible ranking scores, pending legal review, title search, boundary review, and any necessary subordination of third party interests.
The farms, totaling approximately 2,862 acres, were selected from the 271 applications from 30 counties received by the department’s Office of Farmland Preservation in March.
If any farms drop out for any reason, they will be replaced by the next eligible highest-scoring farm on the list.
Since its inception in 2002, this program has preserved approximately 6,423 acres.
Dailey said 13 of the 14 farmland owners donated 50 percent of the value of their agricultural easement. The IRS considers such a donation a gift and the landowner may be eligible for federal tax benefits.
Final round next year. Applications for the final funding round will be available in early 2005.
For a complete list of the farms and scores or for more information on the program visit www.ohioagriculture.gov/farmland.stm.
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Farm Owner Acres Nearest Town County
E.M. Roberts Farm Limited Partnership 461 South Charleston Clark
Emerson and Agnes Voge Trust 80 West Alexandria Preble
Rodney and Emily Kuntz, Joan Kuntz 79 Delta Fulton
Roger and Rebekah Voge 80 West Alexandria Preble
DRJ Farms, Ronald and John Harbage 445 South Charleston Clark
Frederick Voge 295 West Alexandria Preble
William and JoAnn Lange 222 West Alexandria Preble
Sutherly Land, LLC, William Sutherly, et al. 77 Troy Miami
Leslie and Debra Haas 124 Delta Fulton
James Soltis Jr. 204 Garrettsville Geauga
Eddie and Marcia Shelton 155 Marion Marion
Brian and Kathleen McClarren 97 Delta Fulton
Lawrence and Leisa Onweller 154 Delta Fulton
Harold and Josephine Blackford 167 Middlefield Geauga
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