PERRYSBURG – Black Swamp Conservancy has partnered with the Ohio Department of Agriculture and family
farmers in three northwest Ohio counties to ensure that nearly 1,000 acres of farmland is used only for
agriculture, in perpetuity.
The farmland preservation occurred as a result of the Agricultural Easement Purchase Program of the Ohio
Department of Agriculture.
The AEPP provides funding to assist landowners in preserving Ohio’s farmland. Each spring, applications
are submitted by sponsoring organizations – such as Black Swamp Conservancy – on behalf of farmland
owners across the state.
The applications are scored based on criteria developed by the Department of Agriculture. The
highest-scoring applicants are offered farmland preservation grants through the Clean Ohio Fund, in
return for entering into a perpetual farmland preservation agreement known as an agricultural easement.
"We are pleased to work with the Department of Agriculture to help farming families keep their land
in agriculture through the Agricultural Easement Purchase Program," said Kevin Joyce, executive
director of Black Swamp Conservancy. "Farmland preservation is one essential step in ensuring the
future success of agriculture, our state’s number one industry."
Once the agricultural easement is in place, the Department of Agriculture and the sponsoring organization
share responsibility for monitoring the property and ensuring that the land use restrictions of the
easement are not violated.
Black Swamp Conservancy sponsored eight successful applications in the 2009 AEPP, four in Fulton County,
three in Seneca County and one in Henry County. The Fulton County farms total 446 acres. The three Henry
County farms cover 437 acres. The Henry County farm is 79 acres. In total, 963 acres of farmland is
being protected.
This year’s results bring the total number of farms preserved by Black Swamp Conservancy through the AEPP
to 41, making the conservancy the most successful sponsor in the program’s history. The 41 grants total
$7.6 million and preserve 5,600 acres of farmland.
The conservancy has had 22 successful AEPP applications in Fulton County and fourteen in Seneca County.
The 79-acre Henry County property is the first farm in the county to be protected through the AEPP.
"Our conservancy works with family farmers throughout northwest Ohio to ensure that their land
remains agricultural forever," said Rob Krain, the conservancy’s stewardship manager.
"Preservation of agricultural lands is vital to maintaining our region’s cultural heritage, scenic
beauty and economic stability.
Seneca, Fulton and Henry counties lost more than 28,000 acres of farmland between 2002 and 2007 despite
the fact that populations remained relatively stable."
The mission of Black Swamp Conservancy, a land trust based in Perrysburg, is to protect and preserve
natural and agricultural lands for the benefit of future generations.
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On the Net:
www.blackswamp.org
