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ODA expands the Farmland Preservation Program

The director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture says preserving the state’s farmland will allow growth in its ag sector.

In 1998, the Office of Farmland Preservation created a voluntary agreement with farmers and the ODA to keep farmland for ag use.

Brian Baldridge says landowners are financially compensated for joining the program. 

“Those participants, they take this funding opportunity and they reinvest in the farm,” he says. “You know, again as we look at increased production, increased efficiencies, and just best practices now they’ve been able to reinvest where they didn’t have that opportunity.”

He tells Brownfield the program ensures the land is available for future ag use.

“It’s part of our business model of having farmland to really produce crops and we want to make sure that one of these days, if there is a shortage, the world comes to the ag community and says you need to step it up, grow more crops, more food,” he says. “We want to make sure we’re able to do that.”

Nine Ohio farms have joined the Farmland Preservation Program this year.

AUDIO: Brian Baldridge, ODA

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