REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Agriculture announced May 8 that 295 acres have been added to the Farmland Preservation Program. Curtis N. Bechtel, in Knox County, and Ronald S. Rickly, in Fairfield County, become the seventh and eighth Ohio farmers to join the program this year.
In partnership with ODA, local sponsors Owl Creek Conservancy and Fairfield County Board of Commissioners respectively played significant roles in securing these agreements.
Since the Office of Farmland Preservation began in 1998, 688 farms totaling 103,915 acres have entered into agreements. Funds from the purchase of these easements are invested in the local economy by the landowners.
