Staff Writer for the Review Times

Peter Freyman, who migrated to the United States from Germany in the 19th century, can rest peacefully knowing that the several-hundred acres of farmland he settled is now preserved indefinitely.

As an estimated 400 acres of Ohio farmland is destroyed every day, the thought is certainly reassuring.

Freyman’s great-great-grandson, Lyman Leathers, is now the rightful owner of the Wood County farm. Located on Freyman and Rudolph roads in Cygnet, Leathers’ farm encompasses 344 acres.

"It’s my ancestral home," said Leathers, who resides in Delaware, Ohio.

The property consists of 75 wooded acres, and the rest is used to cultivate crops.

A retired professor at Ohio Wesleyan University, Leathers was raised on a farm. At age 19, he contracted polio.

"That persuaded me not to go into farming," he said.

But Leathers wanted other farmers to continue using his land to grow their crops — corn, beans and wheat.

Several years ago, he became alarmed with the subdivision developments springing up around Cygnet.

"The people next to me started to divide up their property and build houses," Leathers recalled. "I wanted to make sure that wouldn’t happen to mine."

A friend told him about the Black Swamp Conservancy.

The non-profit organization is a land trust established in 1993 to support the conservation of woodlands and wetlands throughout Northwest Ohio.

The BSC enforces conservation and agricultural easements that protect privately owned land in its natural state.

Whether they’re donated by the landowner or purchased by the BSC, the easements are legal agreements which eliminate specific development rights.

"These easements are in perpetuity and go along with the property," said Karen Starr, administrative manager of the BSC. "The farmer has given up the option to sell it to a developer."

Future landowners are also required to adhere to the terms outlined in the easement.

The agriculture agreements maintain farmland already used for farming. The conservation easements preserve wooded areas and water sources.

Each one is outlined to meet the farmer’s specific needs, so restrictions vary for each property.

Some may strictly require the land uphold its natural state.

Others may forbid development while allowing normal farming activities, such as livestock grazing or rebuilding a dilapidated barn.

Leathers, who donated his land easement to the BSC in 2003, said he will permit necessary farming activities.

"What I’m against is development," he said. "The easement is for normal maintenance. They can do what they’re doing now — farming."

According to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the Buckeye State is one of five where nearly half its farmland is considered "prime."

The USDA deems 44 percent "the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed crops."

Once buildings are constructed on fertile soil, the quality is ruined.

"I wanted to make sure that whoever inherited the property wouldn’t be able to develop it," said Leathers, whose farm is the second largest in acreage preserved by the BSC.

Starr has noticed this mentality is consistent with many farmers.

"They know they want to stay in farming. It’s really a tight life. The state wants to compensate people — who are committed to farming — for that commitment."

The BSC receives much funding through the Clean Ohio Fund, which passed in 2000 and provides $400 million for environmental projects.

Starr said her organization receives $3.2 million annually that must be dispensed across the state.

For landowners who seek payment for their easement, the selection process is a competitive one.

Last year, Starr said only 23 applicants where chosen out of 247.

"We’re overwhelmed with the demand of people who want to explore conservation options."

The application consists of two parts.

The first is a score the ODA awards each property owner based on characteristics such as soil quality, number of neighboring applicants, length of time the property has been in a family and distance to water and sewer facilities.

Qualifying applicants must then write an essay, explaining their farm and its functions in a compelling way.

This year’s applications were sent to the ODA on March 14. Landowners will know whether or not they are among the top few in four to six weeks.

There are tax benefits for donations, though the BSC encourages owners to donate a percentage of their financial gain to help curb expenses, such as surveying each property.

"Our responsibility is to monitor this land annually, because it can change ownership. We make sure they are still upholding the wording on the easement," Starr said.

"It works well — it keeps in us in touch with the land and the landowner."

Since it began, the BSC has protected 28 properties, totaling 3,318 acres.

Other local land protected by the BSC are the 143-acre McNerney-Entenman farm, and the 80-acre Schetter farm.

"It’s a great thing," Leathers said. "I think you have to have some green space and some farmland as what it was."