The Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Office of Farmland Preservation provides between $6M and $6.5M annually for the purchase of agricultural easements through the Clean Ohio Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program (LAEPP). The Owl Creek Conservancy is a local sponsor for LAEPP.
This program’s intent is to keep Ohio’s farm ground in agriculture, and to keep farmers on their land. All agricultural easements are recorded on the property deed and transfer with the land to successive owners. An agricultural easement is a voluntary and legally binding restriction placed on a farm that limits the use of the land to predominantly agricultural activities. The land remains under private ownership and management and stays on the tax rolls under Current Agricultural Use Valuation (CAUV). The farmland can be sold or given to others at any time, but the restriction prohibiting non-agricultural development stays with the land. Those enrolling their property may also be eligible for a tax incentive through the IRS.
Award amounts for an agricultural easement can be up to 75% of the Knox County Auditor’s appraised value of a farm’s development rights. Payment is capped at $2,000 per acre. The funding Owl Creek Conservancy receives each year is limited; contact us soon to be put on a waitlist.
Please feel free to review the resources in the links above for more information on the Local Agriculture Easement Purchase Program. Don't heistate to contact us if you have any questions or would like to start the process of applying for LAEPP. Call us at 740.392.6952 or email at