Conservancy Protects Seneca County Farm

Tiffin, OH – Black Swamp Conservancy, along with the U.S. and Ohio Departments of Agriculture, has entered into a permanent farmland preservation agreement with a Seneca County landowner. The agreement ensures that this 120-acre farm is devoted exclusively to agriculture, forever.

“Agriculture is the number one industry in Ohio. It provides jobs to one in every seven Ohioans,” said Kevin Joyce, Executive Director of Black Swamp Conservancy. “So farmland preservation is critical to the future of our economy here in Ohio.”

Located north of Tiffin, Riley Farm produces corn, soybeans and wheat. This Ohio Century Farm has been in Mrs. Riley’s family since 1864. The property features the original barns dating to the late 1800s, which the Rileys are working to restore.

Landowners Tim and Phyllis Riley are wildlife enthusiasts and have taken steps to improve the natural habitat on their farm. They maintain more than ten acres of woods, and, in cooperation with the Seneca Soil and Water Conservation District, have planted four acres of grasslands. They also employ best management practices such as filter strips and conservation tillage.

To date, there are 17 farms covering 2,500 acres permanently protected with agricultural conservation easements in the Tiffin area. The Conservancy is in the process of protecting another nine farms totaling more than 920 acres in this region.

“Seneca County is a focus area for our farmland preservation efforts,” said Rob Krain, the Conservancy’s Conservation Director. “This area features some of the finest agricultural soils in the region and we are very pleased to work with so many local families who want to ensure that their land is protected for agricultural use.”