Posted November 13, 200420 yr From the 11/13/04 Enquirer: Ohio's farms eroding Development: Fast growth displaces agriculture By John Kiesewetter Enquirer staff writer From the front porch of his 19th-century farmhouse, Herb Baumann watches a Mercedes-Benz dealership sprouting in a field where his family grew corn for eight decades. Traffic from warehouses and office parks built on his former fields makes it difficult for Baumann, 89, the last farmer living in West Chester Township's bustling Union Centre, to cross Allen Road to his mailbox. "You're taking your life in your hands every time you go out," grouses Baumann, a fourth-generation farmer whose family moved in 1923 from Hamilton County to work a 108-acre cattle and grain farm and enjoy rural peace and pace. ........ Although Ohio ranks sixth nationally in corn production, the output is less than one-fourth of the Iowa or Illinois corn crop. CROP PRODUCTION RANKINGS States ranked by 2002 production: CORN (1,000 bushels) 1. Iowa, 1,884,000 2. Illinois, 1,812,200 3. Nebraska, 1,124,200 4. Minnesota, 970,900 5. Indiana, 786,940 6. Ohio, 478,920 7. South Dakota, 427,350 8. Wisconsin, 367,650 9. Missouri, 302,400 10. Michigan, 263,40 11. Texas, 194,700 12. Kentucky, 147,960 SOYBEANS (1,000 bushels) 1. Illinois, 374,125 2. Iowa, 337,600 3. Minnesota, 229,400 4. Indiana, 203,300 5. Nebraska, 179,600 6. Ohio, 162,640 7. Missouri, 143,260 8. South Dakota, 113,130 9. Arkansas, 109,820 10. North Dakota, 87,870 11. Kansas, 57,040 12. Mississippi, 55,770 13. Michigan, 53,730 14. Kentucky, 53,320 ALL TOBACCO (1,000 pounds) 1. North Carolina, 299,995 2. Kentucky, 225,042 3. Tennessee, 65,632 4. South Carolina, 63,000 5. Georgia, 59,400 6. Virginia, 38,818 7. Florida, 11,000 8. Ohio, 8,745 9. Indiana, 8,190 10. Pennsylvania, 7,880 Source: National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture[/size] http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041113/NEWS01/411130410
November 13, 200420 yr I'm kind of mixed on this. The US is the most efficent when it comes to producing food. We honestly produce too much and then ship the extras overseas. The farmers can just save their land and then collect the million$ when they sell it to Walmart or a big new subdivision.
November 14, 200420 yr Me too. On one hand, we have way too many farmers. I mean, there's not much call for blacksmiths any more and when it was no longer feasible, the majority of people stopped being blacksmiths. When farming is such a poor business to be in, I can't blame farmers for exercising their legal property rights and selling out for top dollar. You're right--it's like we're kind of in this touchy transition zone the last 50 years. It used to be that the farms, being necessary, were a natural hold-up to unrestrained growth. But now what do you do? Do you continue to subsidize unnecessary farming and hope that it's an adequate growth-control strategy? That's not really feasible and I don't know how you get around this problem. If vast new acreages are going to become available, how do you make sure it's used (or not used) in a reasonable fashion? My head hurts.
November 14, 200420 yr It's a complex issue. American agriculture is amazingly efficient if you measure efficiency in terms of quantity of food produced per acre farmed or per man-hour of labor. I worked for a while with an engineer at GE whose hobby and passion was statistics. One of his projects was an analysis of the efficiency of American agriculture measured in terms of energy inputs and outputs. He tallied up inputs in calories in the form of food consumed by farmers and farm animals, and fossil fuels used not only to fuel farm machines, but to produce the machines and agricultural chemicals used in producing food. Then, he totaled up the calories of food energy produced. As near as he could calculate, in the era immediately following World War I, when most of the work of planting, harvesting and nurturing crops was provided by human and animal muscle power and fields were fertilized mostly with animal manure and sometimes with mined minerals, the average American farmer put one calorie of energy into every three calories of food energy produced. In modern farming, with its massive machines and chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides (many of which find their way into the ground water, but that's another topic), he calculated that the average American farmer puts about thirty calories of energy into every three calories of food energy produced -- a striking negative result! According to his research, American agriculture was ninety times more productive in energy terms in 1918 than it is now. In the fifties, when I grew up on an Indiana dairy farm, we had a big operation at 300 acres. Dad was a good farmer and a frugal businessman, and although we didn't have new cars, we lived in a decent house and ate well, and he was able to put away enough to send three boys to college and save up for a comfortable retirement for himself and Mom. Mom and one of my brothers and I still own the land, which we rent to a farmer who operates about 3,000 acres. He runs a good business and makes good money, but has an enormous capital investment in equipment and probably a lot of debt. I doubt if his annual net is anywhere near the aggregate profit of the twenty or so families who used to farm that 3,000 acres. I've fielded calls from people who want to buy county road frontage to build their dream house in the country. So far, I haven't chased any of them with a pitchfork, but I don't encourage them. We already have too many soccer moms with SUVs full of kids, blasting at 70mph along country roads safe at 45mph, endangering kids on bikes, pets, and farmers transporting machinery from one field to another. The sprawl of shopping centers and subdivisions onto farmland, facilitated by agriculture that gains its productivity through petroleum-based fuels and chemicals, destroys urban density and increases traffic congestion, environmental damage, and our dependence in imported oil.
November 14, 200420 yr Excellent post he calculated that the average American farmer puts about thirty calories of energy into every three calories of food energy produced -- a striking negative result! Striking indeed - puts the concept of "efficient" American food production in perspective. It also underlines the fact that the carrying capacity of the planet is really based on the oil supply.
November 16, 200420 yr I thought this one was at least tangentially related...from the 11/16/04 Enquirer: Farms, industry shortchanged? Study: Taxes, fees twice rate of services By John Kiesewetter Enquirer staff writer HAMILTON - Butler County farmers, as well as commercial and industrial developments, are paying twice as much in taxes and fees in comparison to the amount of government services they require. According to an American Farmland Trust analysis of community-services costs released Monday, farmers receive 49 cents in services for each $1 paid in taxes and fees. Industrial and commercial users receive 45 cents in services, said Andy Andrews, who did the study for the trust. Residential development uses $1.12 worth of services for every $1 paid in taxes or fees, he said. The report was funded by the Smart Growth Coalition for Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. A similar analysis for Kenton County will be released in December. ....... http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041116/NEWS01/411160346/1056/news01
April 7, 200520 yr An interesting article from the 4/7/05 Enquirer: Local farms seek grants to preserve their land Almost three dozen apply for easements By Dan Sewell Enquirer staff writer OXFORD - A farmland preservation group has sponsored applications from nearly three dozen Southwest Ohio farmers, six in Butler County, for state grants that would keep their land sprouting crops instead of subdivisions. "I've got three sons, and we've had this farm since 1950 - and I just don't want to see it developed," said Carl Hesselbrock, who's seeking to have 391 acres in Morgan Township guaranteed to be kept in farming with a state-purchased agricultural easement. Hesselbrock noted that Butler County's growth boom is starting to spread into the southwestern part of the county, adding pressure for development. "It's awful tempting to sell this ground," he said. ..... http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050407/NEWS01/504070356/1056/news01
April 7, 200520 yr Farmland doesn't create much economic value. I wouldn't be surprised if one or two GM plants created as much economic output as all of Ohio's corn and soy bean fields put together.
April 7, 200520 yr More than 7 million acres of Ohio farmland has vanished since 1950. That represents about 30 percent of the state's farmland, an area equivalent to 23 Ohio counties, according to American Farmland Trust. Ohio lost 212,000 acres of farmland from 1992 to 1997, second only to Texas, the trust says. Although Kentucky still is tied for fourth nationally in number of farms, the state lost 80,000 acres from 1992 to 1997. OK, here is a question. What does "lost" mean? I know that Kentukcy had more land in farms back in the 1940s than it does now, but the land ended up going out of production and reverting to forest. The land wasn't all subdivided. I wouldnt be suprised if that wasnt happening in Ohio. The figures cited are statewide. I would not be suprised one bit so see alot of land going out of production in appalachian Ohio, and this contirbution being a large part of the overall state figure.
April 7, 200520 yr I heard somewhere that there are more forests in Ohio today than there were 100 years ago. Does not surprise me one bit. There are more trees in the city of Toledo than there are in the rural areas outside Toledo, which are total farmland.
April 7, 200520 yr Yeah, forest cover in Ohio has been slowly increasing for about the last century. Here's a page from the Ohio Divison of Forestry: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/forestry/forest/ohiogreen.htm
April 8, 200520 yr Farmland doesn't create much economic value. I wouldn't be surprised if one or two GM plants created as much economic output as all of Ohio's corn and soy bean fields put together. But I'm not interested in eating seaweed for the rest of my life.
April 8, 200520 yr Farmland doesn't create much economic value. I wouldn't be surprised if one or two GM plants created as much economic output as all of Ohio's corn and soy bean fields put together. But I'm not interested in eating seaweed for the rest of my life. Relax. It's this kind of hysteria that leads to completely unnecessary farming subsidies. The U.S. grows half the world's food. Nothing is going to erode that advantage. People eating too much is a far bigger problem than people eating too little because food here is too cheap and plentiful. America's food growing capacity is about as likely to run out as the ocean is likely to lose all its water.
May 17, 200520 yr From the 5/17/05 Toledo Blade: CONSERVATION PROGRAM State offers to preserve 4 farms in NW Ohio By JANE SCHMUCKER BLADE STAFF WRITER Four northwest Ohio farms - three in Fulton County and one in Seneca County - are high on the state agriculture department's priority list for preservation with government funds this year. The four area landowners are among 16 across the state who have offers from the Ohio Department of Agriculture for cash in exchange for deed restrictions that prohibit development on their land for perpetuity. On the list released by the agriculture department yesterday are: ● Rodney and Joan Kuntz, who got an offer for almost $176,000 for development rights to 115 acres at 9417 County Road D near Delta in Fulton County's York Township. The state ranked their application fourth out of 168 it received this spring. ● Lomer VonSeggern, who got an offer for more than $150,000 for development rights to 102 acres at 9369 County Road C near Delta in York Township. His application ranked fifth. ● James and Connie Schlatter, who got an offer for almost $108,000 for development rights to 73 acres at County Roads B and 9 near Delta in York Township. Their application ranked sixth. ● Robert and Margaret Borough, who got an offer for almost $186,000 for development rights to 215 acres at 5482 North State Rt. 53 near Tiffin in Seneca County's Pleasant Township. Their application ranked 13th. They have until Monday to decide whether to accept the state's offer. ...... http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050517/NEWS17/505170388
May 18, 200520 yr There's nothing natural about farmland. They are paying people to have farms now? What a wasteful policy. If they want to increase the natural state of Ohio, they should buy farms and let trees grow on them (i.e. convert to parks). That's natural. Not farms.
May 18, 200520 yr You are splitting hairs. Farms are much more natural than almost any other type of use. Locutus' attack on all-things-government continues..
May 18, 200520 yr If they want to increase the natural state of Ohio They say no such thing. Their aim is only to keep it from being developed further from its pastoral, rural state.
May 18, 200520 yr In a lot of suburban developments, especially housing developments, some of the trees and local wildliffe is preserved. In farmland, all of it is utterly destroyed, and replaced by only one form of vegetation that may or may not even bbe local. Farmland is much more destructive to the environment than suburban developments are.
May 18, 200520 yr There's a place for cities, there's a place for forests, there's a place for sculpted parks, there's a place for amusement parks, there's a place for residential neighborhoods, there's a place for freeways, and there's a place for farmland. Do you disagree with that? As for this policy, I don't know the details, but I don't have any problem with the state paying to preserve forests, or parks, or historic buildings, or, for that matter, farmland. Buying every last farm? No. Buying key farms for preservation? Sure. Do you disagree with that? And if so, do you also disagree with the state funding forests and parkland? If not, how is forest and parkland different from farmland? If you can answer those questions, we can have an excellent discussion...
May 19, 200520 yr There's a place for cities, there's a place for forests, there's a place for sculpted parks, there's a place for amusement parks, there's a place for residential neighborhoods, there's a place for freeways, and there's a place for farmland. Do you disagree with that? As for this policy, I don't know the details, but I don't have any problem with the state paying to preserve forests, or parks, or historic buildings, or, for that matter, farmland. Buying every last farm? No. Buying key farms for preservation? Sure. Do you disagree with that? And if so, do you also disagree with the state funding forests and parkland? If not, how is forest and parkland different from farmland? If you can answer those questions, we can have an excellent discussion... Here in Ohio there is too much farmland for my tastes. 100 years ago, there was even more. A lot of the forests in Ohio have sprouted up recently. There's more forested land now than there was 100 years ago, despite all the claims of "suburban sprawl destroying wildlife". Of course 300 years ago, Ohio was thick with trees. But the Europeans cut them all down, and they drained the swamps in NW Ohio. Not that I'm complaining. Farming was less efficient back then. You needed several times as much land to grow X amount of food. Also, that's how most folks earned their livelihoods. But today, farming employs 1-2% of the public, and contributes about 1% to GDP. Most food grown in the U.S. is exported overseas. People say I-80/I-90 from Cleveland to Toledo is the ugliest drive in the country. Now I'm not saying we need to shape our state just to look good, but they make a good point. Most of the trees on that stretch have been cut down all there is is farmland. In this country we have too much land being farmed, and too many people farming. That's why the government pays out so much in subsidies. Some of it is to prop up prices, some of it is actually to pay farmers not to grow anything on their land. I think these policies are counterproductive. The U.S. grows some 50% of the world's food, so reducing some farmland (or even cutting half of it) is not going to lead to any food shortages at home. I really think here in Ohio it would be productive for the government to buy back land from farmers and convert it into green spaces. We had some relatives visiting from another country, and as we were driving around Ohio, we explained to them that typically if you're going through what appears to be a forested area, you're actually in a city, because there are probably houses behind those trees. In the rural areas, they've cut down most of the trees in Ohio. I'm no environmentalist, but I think the predominant state of Ohio's landscape (brutal looking, treeless rural farms) is unfortunate. I'd like the rural stretches to be something more like upstate NY or Pennsylvania, with a good mix of farms and also forested spaces in between.
May 19, 200520 yr Interesting to see some discussion of rural policy here for a change., and actually a bit of rural history too, if one thinks about it. Midwestern farming and farm landscapes actually change from area to area in the Midwest...NW Ohio is particularly flat and boring and treeless, but I think alot of that has to do with it being swampland and the last part of the state settled. Around here one sees more that "forest island" thing...woodlot islands in a sea of "farm"...those woodlots are usually managed for timber production. I do notice that in Indiana, too, until one gets north of, say, Lafayette, where the woodlots disappear and one can actually see the horizon... South of Dayton, and also in Southern Indiana, there seems to be more and more woodlots... @@@@@ I'm not sure farms where bigger in the olden days. I do think they required alot more "hired hands" to work, as well as large families...this was one of the drivers for the developement of a argricultural implements industry in the Midwest, particularly here in Dayton and Springfield...later in Chicago, Moline, Milwaulkee and Peoria....the demand was there for labor saving devices as labor was in short supply and there was alot of land to farm...
May 19, 200520 yr SE and Eastern Ohio are somewhat hilly, and less attractive from a farming standpoint, and therefore more like PA in their foresting pattern. But the Northwest chunk of Ohio starting in Columbus and going North and West from there is large mostly treeless expanse. I'm not sure farms where bigger in the olden days. I do think they required alot more "hired hands" to work, as well as large families...this was one of the drivers for the developement of a argricultural implements industry in the Midwest, particularly here in Dayton and Springfield...later in Chicago, Moline, Milwaulkee and Peoria....the demand was there for labor saving devices as labor was in short supply and there was alot of land to farm... The farms were definitely smaller. There werre more people farming and each person's farm was smaller on average. I was saying that there's more forested land in Ohio today because some of the farmland has reverted back to its natural state through public/privatte forestation efforts, or disuse of old farms for economic reasons.
August 13, 200519 yr From the 8/13/05 PD: Preserving farms grows as priority Geauga operation celebrating today Saturday, August 13, 2005 Maggi Martin Plain Dealer Reporter Larry Klco plods through a dusty field as the baking sunshine spreads across his strawberry plants. From this spot on his 53-acre farm, he can see subdivisions rising on the horizon. But the fertile land beneath his feet will be preserved forever as a farm. Klco's Rainbow Farms in North Perry is one of 14 farms in Northeast Ohio that have been preserved permanently through efforts of the Farmland Center, Ohio Department of Agriculture and Federal Farm and Ranchland Protection programs. Six lie in Portage County, three each in Lake and Geauga counties and two in Wayne County. Preservation efforts continue in Medina, Summit and Ashtabula counties. When a farm is preserved permanently, the owner agrees to maintain it as agricultural land that creates some type of farm produce. Owners can sell the land, but the buyer must agree to the same conditions. Preserving family farms from development is becoming more important with fewer acres left to protect, said Amalie Lipstreu, program coordinator for the Farmland Preservation Program. ...... http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/lake/1123925693284590.xml&coll=2
August 18, 200519 yr wow i am surprised about all the rationalizing going on in this thread. this is terrible news. dont worry folks when evryone lives in crummy no reason to exist suburbs that go on eating up farmland for miles and miles there will always be plenty of food. however, when you drive to the grocery in the near future i suggest you pick up the soylent yellow and skip over the soylent green.
October 13, 200519 yr From the 10/12/05 Dayton Daily News: DeWine seeking fed money to preserve land Ohio ranks second behind Texas in loss of farmland By Ismail Turay Jr. Dayton Daily News XENIA TWP., GREENE COUNTY | U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine announced Tuesday he's working to land federal funds in an effort to start a land preservation program at Ohio State University. The program would suggest ways Ohioans can preserve rapidly declining farmland caused by development, particularly sprawl. "I am frustrated about what's going on in Ohio," he said. "We are working with the federal government" to reverse the trend. ...... http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/1012farm.html
October 16, 200519 yr This is a hoot. Check out this report from the Ohio Environmental Growth Alliance on why Ohio is not losing farmland: http://www.ohiogrowth.com/news/RoomToRoam_OEGA.pdf Then go to their website and check out "Myth vs. Truth Tour" in the left column: http://www.ohiogrowth.com/home.htm
November 3, 200519 yr From ThisWeek (Clintonville). 10/27/05: Preserving state's farmland to be focus of Nov. 10 summit Thursday, October 27, 2005 By KEVIN PARKS ThisWeek Staff Writer America's farmland is doing a disappearing act. Every state is losing high-quality agricultural acreage to development, according to the American Farmland Trust's recent report, "Farming on the Edge: Sprawling Development Threatens America's Best Farmland." Ohio is hardly bucking that trend. The state ranks second in the amount of top-quality farmland giving way to subdivisions and shopping malls, according to the report, trailing only Texas. Georgia, North Carolina and Illinois round out the top five. ..... http://www.thisweeknews.com/thisweek.php?edition=Clintonville&story=thisweeknews/102705/Clintonville/News/102705-News-35744.html
November 22, 200519 yr From the 11/18/05 Elyria Chornicle Telegram: Farmers, state talk land preservation Chris Powell The Chronicle-Telegram OBERLIN A group of concerned farmers and local residents gathered at the Lorain County Joint Vocational School on Thursday for a dialogue on farmland preservation. Around 25 people attended the two-hour discussion, which was sponsored by the Firelands Land Conservancy and included featured speakers Amalie Lipstreu of The Farmland Center and Michael Bailey of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. ....... http://www.chroniclet.com/2005_Archive/11-18-05/Daily%20Pages/Front/Html/Head5.html From the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, 11/17/05: Numerous methods can preserve farmland Published on 11/17/2005 COLUMBUS -- The Clean Ohio Fund, which allocated $25 million for farmland preservation through an easement purchase program, is set to expire in 2006. But as the state decides whether it will extend the life of the fund, OFBF Director of Agricultural Ecology Chris Henney said there are numerous ways to keep farms in agricultural production. Henney recently attended the Ohio Department of Agriculture's 6th Annual Ohio Farmland Preservation Summit. OFBF helped support the summit as a "Partner of Farmland Preservation." "This year's summit focused on bringing together all interested farmers, landowners, local officials, land trusts, citizens and agency personnel for professional networking and strategy discussions about how farmers and local communities can save their productive farmland and support their agricultural industry," he said. Henney noted that ODA holds 108 agricultural easements on 20,310 acres in 34 Ohio counties. "This does not include land protected through land trusts or conservancies in Ohio," he said. In addition to these programs, Henney said farmers can stay on their land by finding new, more profitable markets for their crops. "Certainly value added ag is an economic way to preserve farmland," he said. He noted that OFBF's new Buying Local Directory, which is featured at www.OurOhio.org, is one way farmers can tap into new markets. The directory provides consumers with an interactive map that lists local retail agricultural businesses. Henney added that the transfer of development rights can help preserve agricultural areas by increasing the density of development in urban areas. Another way to spur growth in cities is through urban revitalization, he said. Henney said one program being discussed would seek to draw residents back into cities through incentives such as tax breaks and vouchers to allow children to attend private school. Urban communities would also be able to establish their own police force. "Crime and education are the top reasons that people are leaving urban areas," Henney said. http://www.ofbf.org/page/STER-6J8LH7/?OpenDocument
December 2, 200519 yr From the 11/27/05 Lima News: Proposed Farm Zone Could be Ohio's First Heather Rutz The Lima News November 27, 2005 BATH TOWNSHIP -- Five years in the making, the township's comprehensive land-use plan adopted in October makes preserving Bath Township's rural character a priority. A group of farmers is using a newly created state program to attempt just that. If they succeed, the Bassett family and other owners of about 1,100 acres of farmland would be the first in Ohio to create an Agricultural Security Area. The program, run by the Agriculture Department's Office of Farmland Preservation, permits landowners to request approval from county commissioners and township trustees for a security area, at least 500 acres of contiguous farmland in an unincorporated area that is protected from development for 10 years. ...... http://www.knowledgeplex.org/news/130659.html
December 18, 200519 yr Farm protection under siege Marysville officials want to run sewer line through farm covered by easement Sunday, December 18, 2005 Holly Zachariah THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH A potential court battle over the preservation of a Union County property could reach far beyond the boundaries of that 224-acre grain farm. Some predict it could affect an entire network of farmland-preservation easement programs that state agriculture officials have sunk more than $20 million into since 2002. Arno Renners farm is what has state officials so concerned. Renner, 86, gave the Ohio Department of Agriculture an easement on his property in 2003 to ensure it always would remain in agriculture. City of Marysville officials are threatening to take a portion of it by eminent domain so they can run a sewer line across it. ...... http://dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2005/12/18/20051218-B1-01.html&chck=t
December 18, 200519 yr Since this sewer line would be 40 feet below ground, that might dissuade developers from tapping into it. Further, if the judge allows this sewer line to go through, the judge could include a court order requiring sewer taps to first get a permit from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 2, 200619 yr From the 1/26/06 Toledo Blade: Fulton County: Unique plan would protect farm land By JANET ROMAKER BLADE STAFF WRITER WAUSEON - A new farmland preservation tool called an Ohio Agricultural Security Area could become a first in Fulton County. Under the program, landowners could enroll at least 500 acres of contiguous farmland for 10 years in an unincorporated area of the county into a "security area," in which farming is encouraged and the land is protected from development. It would assemble a critical mass of land to help keep farming viable, and provide a new local tax benefit for investment in new agricultural property. ....... http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060126/NEWS17/601250340/-1/NEWS
April 11, 200619 yr Updated: Fulton County designates 554 acres for farmland preservation WAUSEON - Part of Fulton County's York Township became the first area in Ohio to get a new farmland preservation tool yesterday. Fulton County commissioners voted 2-0 to designate 554 acres between Delta and Liberty Center, much of it along State Rt. 109, as an Ohio Agricultural Security Area, as requested by landowners. The state's agricultural security area legislation went into effect in May. Local governments that agree to such an area make a commitment not to initiate, approve, or finance any nonfarm development activity, such as extending water and sewer lines or building roads within the area during the 10-year period. The landowners agree not to undertake any nonfarm development on the land, although they are allowed one home for every 40 acres for relatives. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060317/NEWS17/603170407/-1/NEWS
April 24, 200619 yr From the 4/24/06 Dayton Daily News: More farmers locking land away from developers Landowners committing their acreage to agricultural use for at least 10 years. By Ben Sutherly Staff Writer Local landowners are banding together to protect farmland while biding their time to preserve it permanently. As part of a state program that began in May, landowners across the Miami Valley are assembling chunks of land of at least 500 acres and committing them to agriculture for a decade, temporarily preventing their development. "We're just very interested in keeping our farm heritage together here," said Jim Spahr, who with his wife, Mary, has 227 acres to enroll in a so-called Agricultural Security Area, or ASA, in northeast Greene County. All told, 4,600 acres in Clark County and nearly 2,000 acres in Greene County have been approved or proposed as ASAs, according to Krista Magaw of the Tecumseh Land Trust, which helped set up the designated areas. ........ http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0424farmland.html
May 9, 200619 yr From the 5/8/06 Dayton Daily News: Push under way to preserve some significant farmsteads By Ben Sutherly Staff Writer Every kid should live within a 20-minute drive of old farms that connect them to the region's rural roots. That's the thinking of the Tecumseh Land Trust, which is expanding its mission of protecting farmland in Clark and Greene counties to include preservation of old buildings that dot farms. "We're losing our farm buildings at, arguably, a faster rate than we are farmland to development," said Krista Magaw, the land trust's executive director. ....... For more information, go to www.tecumsehlandtrust.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0508oldfarm.html
June 29, 200618 yr From the 6/28/06 Toledo Blade: Preservation program buys 6 farms in region By JANE SCHMUCKER BLADE STAFF WRITER Two farms in Fulton County, three in Seneca County, and one in Defiance County are to be preserved from development forever with $5.5 million in state and federal tax dollars. The Ohio Department of Agricultures Office of Farmland Preservation announced yesterday that it plans to purchase development rights to those six local farms along with 17 others across the state under the fifth funding round of the Clean Ohio Agricultural Easement Purchase Program. Rights to be purchased locally are: In Fulton County, almost 290 acres from Thomas and Laurie Von Seggern for $307,190 and almost 155 acres from Lomer Von Seggern for $179,300. Both are near Delta. In Seneca County, 147 acres from Gerald Fry for $158,810, 105 acres from James Adelsperger for $94,640, and almost 64 acres from John Carrigan for $66,203. All are near Tiffin. In Defiance County, near Hicksville, 278 acres from Earl and Shawn Klepper for $240,085. Many of the farmland owners accepted up to 60 percent less than what appraisals said their development rights were worth, according to the agriculture department. ........ http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060628/NEWS17/60628043/-1/RSS08
July 5, 200618 yr From the 7/5/06 Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Local farmers get grant to preserve farm By ALAINA FAHY The Eagle-Gazette Staff [email protected] FAIRFIELD COUNTY - Howard and Dixie Smith's farm has been in their family for more than 200 years. And now that their farm on George Street in Lancaster has been accepted into the Clean Ohio Agriculture Easement Purchase Program, they know that land always will be around. The Smiths were among 188 applicants to the program this year. They were accepted along with 22 other farms in Ohio, said LeeAnne Mizer, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Fairfield County currently has 1,308.24 acres of farm land designated for preservation in the state program. Eighty-one of those acres are owned by the Smiths. ........ http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060705/NEWS01/607050310/1002/rss01
July 6, 200618 yr From the 7/6/06 Enquirer: PHOTO: Chris Lutmer, 26, works on his family's farm in Turtlecreek Township. The Lutmers also rent land, and worry that one parcel will be made unusable when a gas pipeline is installed. The Enquirer/Glenn Hartong Will pipeline lead to more land-taking? For farmers, eminent domain is like plague of locusts BY JANICE MORSE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER Chris Lutmer and his family have farmed in Warren County for at least three generations. But now maps show a proposed natural gas pipeline running through the middle of a 32-acre soybean field in Clearcreek Township - one of several fields the family pays rent to farm. The Rockies Express pipeline, which would run from Colorado to Ohio, needs federal eminent domain approval. Lutmer has little doubt the project will get it, but he hopes that the pipeline can at least be moved to the edge of the field so it can remain usable. ....... Disappearing farmland Every five years, the federal government conducts a census of agriculture. The next census will be conducted in 2007. The most recent county-by-county figures show how much local farmland changed from 1997 to 2002. County Acres in 1997 Acres in 2002 Change in acres Percent change Butler 142,128 138,044 -4,084 -3% Clermont 116,026 94,225 -21,801 -19% Hamilton 33,825 29,520 -4,305 -13% Warren* 123,503 126,168 +2,665 +2% Boone 83,258 74,915 -8,343 -10% Campbell 50,294 50,383 +89 +0% Kenton* 41,150 46,479 +5,329 +13% Source: National Agricultural Statistics Service * Figures may have increased because some vacant land has been temporarily placed into farming use while awaiting possible development. Also, during this period, the federal definition of "farmland" changed, likely accounting for some of the increase. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060706/NEWS01/607060356/1056/rss02
July 14, 200618 yr Traffic hastens Corbetts' decision to end era on Darrow Road Thursday, July 13, 2006 By Lena A. Ina Staff Writer TWINSBURG - For most of his life, resident Jerry Corbett has awakened at 5 a.m. to milk his large herd of Holstein cows and tend to other manual chores on his 80-acre farm on Darrow Road. But lately those chores for this quiet, but cheerful, 66-year-old farmer and his son Wayne, 34, who is running the farm now, have become increasingly difficult to complete. So the Corbetts have decided to sell their bucolic spread, considered by many as a local landmark. Jerry Corbett declined to say to whom he was selling, but said he made up his mind about six months ago. Developer Marc Strauss, mentioned as a possible buyer, declined to confirm or deny an interest in the property. ....... http://www.cleveland.com/sun/twinsburgsun/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1152809184270670.xml&coll=3
July 18, 200618 yr From the 7/17/06 Warren Tribune Chronicle: PHOTO: Nancy Kepner stands next to some heavy machinery on her Bushnell Campbell Road family farm in Fowler. She said the farm has been in her husbands family for five generations. She has opted for a state program that will keep the land forever a farm. Tribune Chronicle / Bill Rodgers Fowler family is paid to preserve farmland By BILL RODGERS Tribune Chronicle FOWLER Nancy Kepners farm on Bushnell Campbell Road has been in her husbands family for five generations. And thanks to a state program, the farm could be there for many, many years to come. Kepner is waiting to finalize paperwork on an easement purchase offered by the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Kepner will receive $451,610 and in return, 461 acres of her land will forever remain a farm. Kepner, with the help of the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, has struck a deal under the Agricultural Easement Purchase Program. The program, offered by the ODA Office of Farmland Preservation, seeks to retain dwindling farmland in the state. ........ http://tribune-chronicle.com/articles.asp?articleID=6239
July 18, 200618 yr From the 7/18/06 Enquirer: Here's $163,000; keep farming Program ensures Butler County site will not be developed BY JANICE MORSE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER Hundreds more acres of southwest Ohio farmland - including a parcel in Butler County - are being protected from development because of local, state and federal partnerships, officials said Monday. The 263-acre Tincher Farm on King Road in northern Reily Township, just south of Oxford in Butler County, was chosen for this year's Ohio Agricultural Easement Purchase Program. Under that program, the farmer receives a per-acre sum for his land. He retains ownership of the property but signs papers ensuring that the farm can never be developed. At the same time, he agrees to continue farming the land and to pass it on to other farmers, who promise to maintain its agricultural use forever. ...... http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060718/NEWS01/607180344/1056
July 20, 200618 yr From the 7/19/06 Newark Advocate: Farmer's land plan blocks mayor's job plan Preservation stands in way of city's hope for industrial park By KENT MALLETT Advocate Reporter NEWARK An 83-year-old farmers desire to forever preserve 126 acres of his property as farmland blocks the citys planned path to annexation and industrial development. John Haluczik, who grew up on a Dayton Road farm just north of Ohio 16 and east of the city limits, already has signed the paperwork to place the land into farmland preservation. The designation means the land always must remain farmland and is binding on future owners. Halucziks land sits on both sides of Dayton Road, between the railroad tracks and Butler Road, in the area where the city planned to expand and create an industrial park to attract higher-paying jobs. ..... http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060719/NEWS01/607190302/1002/rss01
July 21, 200618 yr From the 7/21/06 Dispatch: Newark objects to plan to preserve 126-acre farm State protection would hamper development plans Friday, July 21, 2006 Tom Sheehan THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH NEWARK, Ohio For childless John Haluczik, his familys 85-year-old farm is his legacy, and he intends to preserve it. But city officials say Halucziks decision to enroll his 126 acres in the states farmland preservation program is a roadblock to progress. Once the paperwork is complete, the farm straddling Dayton Road north of Rt. 16 in Madison Township will be forever safe from development. Haluczik, 82, said yesterday that while he isnt necessarily opposed to development, he believes theres a need to keep as much farmland around as possible. "If they keep building homes on it, well be eating homes instead of food." ......... http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/21/20060721-D3-01.html
July 27, 200618 yr From the 7/27/06 Hamilton JournalNews: Farmland preservation becoming a challenge for growing townships By Eric Schwartzberg Staff Writer BUTLER COUNTY Morris Van Gorden attended his first Butler County Fair in 1937 when he was 10 years old. Since then, the lifelong Liberty Twp. resident only has missed one fair because the familys barn burned. There just wasnt time to get the cattle ready for the fair, he recalled. The fifth-generation farmer has always shown Holsteins at the county fair. He joined the Butler County Agricultural Society in 1971 and has served as its president for the past 22 years. During the fairs dairy show, Van Gorden ensures the milking parlor runs smoothly three times a day for public displays. Its important that we make this available so that in a small way, they can see firsthand how things are, Van Gorden said. Theres so many people that dont have any contact with it anymore, even in our immediate area. ....... http://www.journal-news.com/hp/content/news/stories/2006/07/26/HJN072706RURAL_s.html
August 1, 200618 yr From the 7/27/06 Twinsburg Bulletin: Possible sale of farm bittersweet for owners, city Offers are from churches, other farmers, residential developers by Andrew Schunk Editor Twinsburg - According to owner Jerry Corbett, the city missed its chance to develop the 80 acres of farmland at the corner of Glenwood Drive and Route 91 two years ago, when he first considered selling the farm. They werent interested at the time, Corbett said. It could have been a lake-farm park, a scaled-down place that could have had animals for the children to see, a pavilion in the woods and city gardens to tour. Now, as he looks seriously at offers from everyone from homebuilders to churches to horse farms, he said the future of the land, barn and farmhouse remains unknown. No sale has been made, he has not had the land appraised and he would not divulge the offers he has received. People are coming today from Michigan and Indiana to look at the cattle, he said July 25 of his 75 Holsteins and 24 beef cows. Its becoming harder to farm in Twinsburg with the traffic, and Im slowing down. ........ http://www.twinsburgbulletin.com/article.php?pathToFile=/archive/07272006/news/&file=_news3.txt&article=1&tD=07272006
August 8, 200618 yr From the 8/7/06 Newark Advocate: State accepts farmland into program By KENT MALLETT Advocate Reporter NEWARK -- The Ohio Department of Agriculture has approved a Licking County farmer's application to put 126 acres off Dayton Road into farmland preservation, forever removing the Madison Township land from future development. The farmland, just east of the city limits and north of Ohio 16 on both sides of Dayton Road, was an area Mayor Bruce Bain had hoped eventually would be annexed into the city and be used to attract new industry and higher-paying jobs to boost the financially-strapped city. The mayor, who grew up on a farm, said some have misinterpreted his comments about John Haluczik's decision to protect his land from development. Bain said he never has criticized the farmer, just the law. "The law is short-sighted," Bain said. "It's a manmade law that controls something in perpetuity. I just don't think you can permanently control land." The mayor said it was not a waste of money to spend $54,000 to purchase a sewer and then extend it across Dayton Road, from just west of the Wendy's restaurant on Ohio 16 to Swans Road near Brown's Distributing. ........ http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060807/NEWS01/608070303/1002/rss01
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