Farmers can learn about the benefits of agricultural easements at a presentation on Saturday, July 27 in southern Ashtabula County.
Brett Rodstrom, vice president of eastern field operations for the nonprofit Western Reserve Land Conservancy, will discuss the advantages of permanently protecting farmland with a conservation easement at a 2 p.m. presentation at the Colebrook Community Center, 682 Route 322, in Colebrook. The talk is sponsored by the Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake Counties Farmers Union and the Trumbull County Farmers Union.
Several farmers who have placed agricultural easements on their land will also be on hand to share their experiences. The talk is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
The Land Conservancy works with farmers and other landowners to permanently preserve agricultural, natural and coastal lands in northern Ohio. Its primary tool is the conservation easement, a legal, voluntary agreement between a property owner and a land trust that permanently limits uses of the land in order to protect its conservation and/or agricultural values.
Congress recently renewed an incentive that enhances the tax benefits of protecting your farm or family land by placing a voluntary conservation agreement on it. That incentive is scheduled to expire on Dec. 31.
The Land Conservancy has preserved more than 480 properties and 35,000 acres in northern Ohio. It works closely with landowners, communities, government agencies, park systems and other nonprofits to protect land.
For more information on the presentation, call Mardy and Marge Townsend at (440) 272-5174.
