Farmland Loss and FRPP Program Activity

Ohio’s Farmland Loss

Of Ohio’s 26,206,720 acres, there are 11,597,600 acres are classified as prime farmland. Although Ohio ranks 39th in the nation in total state land area, Ohio is fifth in the nation in percent of state land area that is classified as prime farmland (source: 2000 National Resources Inventory).  In a more alarming analysis of NRI data, Ohio lost more acres of prime farmland during the period 1987 to 1997 than any other state in the Nation, with the exception of Texas.

Since 1987, Ohio has lost 627,100 acres of farmland, of which 352,600 acres were prime farmland. The average size of an Ohio county is 300,500 acres.   During that ten year span, Ohio lost more than one county’s area of prime farmland.

FRPP Activity in Ohio

Since 2002, the first year of the program in Ohio, over 33,000 acres of farmland have been enrolled in FRPP.  Nearly 90 percent of the protected land is classified as prime soils.

In Fiscal Year 2010, $3,949,414 was awarded to five different entities including State or local governments, as well as non-governmental organizations for purchasing easements through their farmland protection programs. To date, $25,986,358 has been provided to such entities in Ohio through the FRPP.