By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

OWENSVILLE, Ohio — Marie Holscher may not have planted crops or raised any cattle on her 41.85-acre farm in Clermont County in southwestern Ohio but she’s determined that whoever inherits the land next won’t be able to sell it to developers of any kind.
Holscher, 88, is determined to keep her land as rural as it was when she arrived on the scene 57 years ago.

“I’ve lived here 57 years. and I think we need to preserve the farmland in this state, and especially in this area,” Holscher explained.

She has donated an easement to the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) with the guarantee that her farm, located near Amelia, won’t be used by developers.

This is the first easement donation from Clermont County and is the 28th statewide donation of an agricultural easement to the department.

Holscher lives on the farm and eventually will sell it or leave it to her two children, or three grandchildren.

“I just hope that it remains in the hands of our family or that someone buys it who could cherish it as much as I have over the years,” she said.

To this point in time 3,486 acres in 16 counties in the state have been preserved through such donated easement process.
Marie and her late husband, Carlos, purchased the farm in 1950 for $20,000. The farm house itself was built in 1832. Carlos died in 1957 but Marie never remarried and she then becamse a school teacher at Monroe Elementary School.

“I commend the Holscher family for their desire to see their beautiful family farm remain in agriculture,” said ODA Director Robert J. Boggs. “I am pleased that our department has been able to help the Holscher family preserve a farm of such agricultural and historic significance.”

In addition to having woodlands and farm fields, the Holscher farm is also home to the 19th century Aaron Fagin House, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its local architectural significance. The Clermont Soil and Water Conservation District will monitor the agricultural easement on behalf of the department to ensure that the land is used for agriculture.

“When my husband and I moved to Clermont County in the late 1940s, most of the surrounding properties were working farms. While some of these farms remain, many have been lost over the years,” Holscher said. “I hope that this donation will encourage others who want to protect our farms and wildlife to consider agricultural easements for their farms as well.”

Under the department’s Ohio Agricultural Easement Donation Pro-gram, landowners can donate a permanent agricultural easement on their farm to the state. Agricultural easements are voluntary legal agreements restricting development on farmland, with the land remaining a tax-paying property under private ownership and management. Landowners may undertake any agricultural activity permitted under Ohio law, and they can sell their farm or pass it along as a gift to others. The restriction prohibiting non-farm development travels with the land ensuring it would never be developed for non-farm uses.

Landowners can receive federal tax advantages from donating permanent agricultural easements to the department. Donated easements that meet Internal Revenue Code criteria are treated as charitable gifts, and landowners may now be eligible to deduct up to 50 percent of their adjusted gross income in any given year, for a period of up to 16 years. Interested landowners should seek professional advice from an accountant or attorney.

For more on the Ohio Agricultural Easement Donation Program is available by calling 614-728-6210 or by visiting www.ohioagriculture.gov/farmland