COLUMBUS Farmland is summit focus

One official recommended that communities prioritize applications for the second round of funding for easement grants.
By MICHELE C. HLADIK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- Interest in preserving Ohio's farmland is on the rise, the state's agriculture chief says.
Department of Agriculture Director Fred Dailey told attendees of the 3rd Annual Ohio Farmland Preservation Summit Thursday that nine of 10 people are concerned about farmland. He pointed to the busy year the ODA's Office of Farmland Preservation has endured.
"It's been a very productive year," he said.
One key area of success was in Ohio's Agricultural Easement Purchase Program, which allows land to be preserved solely for agricultural use.
The state has allocated $25 million from the Clean Ohio Fund to award 75 percent matching grants to farmland owners wishing to sell farmland easements to the ODA. Local communities or organizations must provide at least 25 percent in matching funds, or the owner can donate 25 percent or more of the appraised value of the easement.
This allows farmers to profit from the value of their land without giving up the farm, according to the ODA. Farm owners also don't give up their rights to sell or pass along the land, but the property must be preserved as farmland in perpetuity, according to easement program guidelines.
According to Dailey, 11 landowners donated about 1,400 acres of land over the last two years, easements were purchased to assist tobacco farmers and the office received 442 applications for easement grants.
"That's just a tremendous amount of interest in this program," he said.
A surprise
The number of applicants for the program surprised ODA officials, including Howard Wise, director of the Office of Farmland Preservation.
"The strong demand of our first funding round has sent a strong message to downtown Columbus," Wise said.
He recommended local communities prioritize the applications during the second round of funding to allow his office to process applications faster. He added that all applications would be accepted.
According to Jennifer Smyser of the Center for Farmland Preservation in Northeast Ohio, which includes Portage and Wayne counties, Wayne County submitted 60 applications for the Clean Ohio grants for easements, more than any other county.
Changes may be made in the applications, and other items, including the caps, which are currently at $4,000 for each grant, Dailey said.
Program funding
In addition to $6.25 million allocated from the Clean Ohio Fund for 2002, the state also received $1.6 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the program.
According to Michelle Lohstroh with the USDA, $100 million is available nationally for 2003 and Ohio hopes to get a greater share than the $1.6 million it received this year. She said Ohio is ranked fifth in the U.S. for its prime soil, but the state has lost a lot of prime farmland over the years.
Summit attendees were also given suggestions on the best ways to work on preserving farmland, including effective lobbying of public officials and teamwork.
Strong human relations skills are the key, according to Karl Gebhardt of Teater-Gerhard & amp; Associates. He also suggested perseverance and technical knowledge of the subject and knowledge of the legislative process.
Smyser and Chuck Ashcroft of the Grand River Project, which includes Portage and Trumbull counties, told the group public and private groups need to work together on the preservation issue.
Ashcroft said strong partnerships are needed to let farmers know of their options.