FARMLAND PRESERVATION

More than 6,500 acres in Elizabeth Township - more than one-third of the land in the township - are protected from development by conservation easements. Elizabeth Township is the only township in Miami County with its own active farmland preservation program; more than 50 farms to date have been protected. Farmland preservation is a VOLUNTARY step; no landowner in the township is obligated to protect their land from development.

At their October 15, 2025, meeting, township trustees again authorized the township to participate in the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program. Trustees would like to see the township continue to gradually protect more farmland over time, and would especially like to form a barrier against encroachment by nearby municipalities such as Huber Heights or New Carlisle decades in the future. No township dollars are spent for farmland preservation, aside from a few thousand dollars each year to monitor farms that are already protected and to place easements on additional farms whose owners are interested in selling their development rights.

If you own land in Elizabeth Township and are interested in preserving it, please reach out to Ben Sutherly, the township's farmland preservation point person, prior to December 31, 2025, at bsutherly@yahoo.com or (937) 524-3264.