Wayne County landowners with at least 500 contiguous acres of unincorporated farmland can establish an Agricultural Security Area (ASA) for a 10‑year term. ASAs are voluntary, locally controlled, incentive‑based programs that uphold property rights while supporting agricultural viability. They offer key benefits to farmers, including protection from non‑farm development, assembling critical farmland acreage to sustain long‑term agriculture, and providing potential tax exemptions for new structures used exclusively for agricultural purposes.

Interested? Start by watching this video about ASAs from the Ohio Department of Agriculture, download a handout from the PDF below, and reach out to Wayne Soil and Water OR Wayne County Planning Department for assistance. 

Addition Information for ASAs:

ODA Program Returned 

Wayne County is a local sponsor for the Ohio Department of Agriculture's ODA Clean Ohio Local Ag Easement Purchase Program (LAEPP).  LAEPP provides a permanent agricultural easement on farmland and pays up to 75% of the apprasied value of the farm's development rights, maxxing out at $2,000 an acre. 

This is a competitive program that opens each year January through March. Landowners have to work with a local sponsor in order to complete and submit applications.

Additional Information:

Landowners who are not interested in ASAs or LAEPP can opt into a donated easement. These easements are permanently binding to the land but do not provied compensation. Some donated easements have fewer restrictions and also may provide a tax benefit. 

ODA's Agricultural Easement Donation Program (AEDP)

Killbuck Watershed Land Trust (KWLT)

Western Reserve Land Conservancy