As cities and towns expand, the rural landscape is changing.

While in some communities farmland is being swallowed up by development at an alarming rate, a group of local residents believes that preserving Wayne County’s rich agricultural heritage is important and they’re doing something about it.

During their Feb. 16 meeting, the Wayne County commissioners unanimously approved the establishment of a new Agriculture Security Area (ASA) in Baughman Township, preserving 2,048 acres of farm land from development for the next 10 years.

Ohio’s Agricultural Security Area (ASA) legislation, which went into effect in 2005, permits one or more landowners to submit a request to the county commissioners and township trustees to enroll at least 500 acres of contiguous farmland in unincorporated areas of the county into an ASA for a period of 10 years.

During that time, the property can be used only for agricultural activities. In return, the commissioners and township trustees agree not to initiate, approve or finance any development for residential, commercial or industrial purposes including the construction of new roads and water and sewer lines within the area for a period of 10 years.

According to Wayne County Commissioner Ann Obrecht, a joint public hearing on the establishment of the new ASA with the commissioners and the Baughman Township trustees was held Feb. 10. Later that evening, during their regular session, the township trustees approved the ASA.

Participating in the newly established 2,048.102 acre Baughman Township ASA are Willard, Bonita and John Stoll (636.544 acres), Elmer E. Baer et. al. (160 acres), Gary and Nancy Eggeman (55.308 acres), Ellen Douglas (194.254 acres), Wendell G. Douglass (80 acres), Ruth and William Kaufman (46.854 acres), Medina Sod Farms (195.65 acres), Ralph and Lisa Stoll (11.985), John and Lois Douglass (364.88 acres) and Cat Land Co. Ltd. (302.627 acres).

According to Maryanna Biggio, a volunteer in the Wayne County Planning Department who specializes in farmland preservation issues, the new ASA will be added to an existing 1,663 acre ASA established in Baughman Township in 2010. With the addition of the new acreage, a total of 3,711 acres in Baughman Township alone will be included in an ASA.

“We have other townships and are working on others as well so this is a program that has become very popular,” said Biggio. “I think landowners in Wayne County are beginning to learn all about it.”

Biggio offered her thanks to those who have helped make the program a reality in Wayne County, saying, “I appreciate the support that the commissioners and township trustees have given to this program.”

“I want to thank Maryanna (Biggio) for all her hard work in getting all this put together and following through,” said Obrecht, adding a note of thanks to the Wayne Soil and Water Conservation District “because they play an important role in checking all the properties to make sure they meet all the requirements.”

In addition to the new 2,048-acre Baughman Township ASA, 3,381.3 acres are currently part of four other ASA’s in Canaan, Chester, Franklin and Baughman townships.

In addition to the farms enrolled in the ASA program, 10 other farms with a combined 1,181.3 acres are permanently protected from future development under the state’s permanent easement program.

An additional 1,268 acres in Wayne County have been accepted into the permanent easement program through the Killbuck Watershed Land Trust, a private nonprofit conservation organization formed to protect farm and forest land, natural areas, historic structures and recreational areas in Wayne, Ashland, Holmes, Richland and Coshocton counties.

For more information on these programs, contact the Wayne County Planning Department at 330-287-5420.