Agriculture Producers: Learn Your Rights

Throughout much of Ohio, more people are leaving cities and suburbs and settling in rural communities. As areas that have traditionally been farming communities are becoming inhabited by residents who have little knowledge of agriculture, issues concerning landowners’ rights and responsibilities have become more common.

To help farmers understand some of these matters and become familiar their obligations, an Agriculture Learn Your Rights workshop, will be hosted on Thursday, September 18 at Minford High School. The Scioto Soil and Water Conservation District will collaborate with OSU Extension, Scioto County Farm Bureau, and USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service, to host the program, focusing on Ohio’s Fence Law, Oil and Gas Leases, and Agriculture Districts.

In June, Governor Strickland signed legislation updating Ohio’s Fence Law with changes to the law focusing on responsibilities for both new fence construction and maintaining existing fences. To address issues concerning Ohio’s Fence Law, Larry Gerhardt, Director of Local Affairs for Ohio Farm Bureau, will discuss line fence construction guidelines, maintenance, and the process for assigning and enforcing the rights of landowners sharing a fence.

Gerhardt will also review issues relating to oil and gas leases. With climbing oil and gas prices, more landowners are leasing their farmland for oil and gas production. Before negotiating terms, landowners should be aware of the responsibilities and liability associated with a lease.

Scioto County Auditor, David Green, is also scheduled to speak about the benefits of belonging to an Agriculture District. Agriculture Districts protect farm operations against nuisance suits, offer deferment of tax assessments to build sewer and water lines, and provide an additional review process before land can be taken for eminent domain. Green will discuss some of these benefits in detail.

To register for the workshop, contact the Scioto Soil and Water Conservation District at (740) 259-9231, or email scioto@sciotoswcd.org.