There has been much written regarding the Agricultural Easement Purchase Program (AEPP) but the following article I found to be more informative.This article was in the Sept/Oct Township News and was written by Jill Clark, Ohio Field Representative, American Farmland Trust and she has given me permission to reprint it in this month's issue of our Courier.

Pros of the AEPP
• AEPP protects farmland permanently, while keeping it in private ownership.
• Participation in AEPP is voluntary.
• AEPP is implemented by a partnership between the state and a local government, or a private organization.
• AEPP provides farmers with a financially competitive alternative to development, giving them cash to help address the economic challenges of farming in urban-influenced areas.
• AEPP can protect ecological as well as agricultural resources.
• AEPP limits the value of agricultural land, which helps to keep it affordable to farmers.
• AEPP involves the non-farming public in farmland protection.
Cons of AEPP
• AEPP is expensive.
• AEPP needs to be combined with other farmland protection efforts because it can rarely protect enough land to eliminate development pressure on unrestricted farms.
• AEPP programs are generally unable to keep up with farmer demand to sell easements. This results in long waiting lists and missed opportunities to protect land.
• Purchasing easements is time-consuming.
• The voluntary nature of AEPP means that some important agricultural lands are not protected.
• Monitoring and enforcing easements requires an ongoing investment of time and resources.

The first round of the AEPP was in April 2002. It is anticipated that the 2nd round will take place in the spring of 2003