PulseJournal.com

Morris Van Gorden attended his first Butler County Fair in 1937 when he was 10 years old.

Since then, the lifelong Liberty Twp. resident only has missed one fair — because the family's barn burned.

The fifth-generation farmer has always shown Holsteins at the county fair. He joined the Butler County Agricultural Society since 1971 and has served as its president for the past 22 years.

During the fair's dairy show, Van Gorden ensures the milking parlor runs smoothly three times a day for public displays.

"It's amazing how many people will watch us milk," he said.

The fair gives the public an opportunity to view up close livestock and the many other facets of agricultural life, Van Gorden said.

"It's important that we make this available so that in a small way, they can see firsthand how things are," Van Gorden said. "There's so many people that don't have any contact with it anymore, even in our immediate area."

Liberty Twp. saw agricultural land plummet 39 percent from 1999 to 2006 while residential and commercial development shot up. The largest increase came from single family homes, which saw a 50 percent boost in that seven-year span. In West Chester Twp., agricultural use land also shrank from 17 percent of the township to 8 percent from 1998 to 2004.

Liberty Twp. Trustee President Christine Matacic said business economics have changed the lay of the land, but the township is fortunate to have zoning in place since 1992 to balance the growth.

She said providing services like schools, roads, police and fire means residential areas actually cost the township more than commercial or agricultural areas.

"But what we're trying to do is to balance it all out," said Matacic, whose own home lies on former farm land, "so we have a good healthy combination for the long term."

With retiring farmers selling property to developers and rural life dwindling to record lows, how can rural life be part of that balance?

Now in its fourth year, the Office of Farmland Preservation's Clean Ohio Agricultural Easement Purchase Program has preserved more than 20,000 acres of farmland, said LeeAnne Mizer, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

The troublesome aspect about allowing farmland to be purchased for commercial or residential use, Mizer said, is that once land has been developed, "it's a done deal."

But before the land can be sold away for shopping centers and housing developments, agricultural property owners can contact OFP about the purchase program or the agricultural easement donation program.

With the purchase program, the OFP purchases an easement on the land, offering the difference between the land value and the development value.

"We're not against growth," Mizer said. "Growth is fine. But we encourage smart growth."

Since the program's inception in 2002, the department has received 1,368 applications from landowners in more than 60 counties, requesting funding for the preservation of about 218,288 acres of productive agricultural land.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture received $25 million for farmland preservation from the $400 million Clean Ohio Fund.

Of that $25 million, $15.6 million has been spent to preserve 97 farms in 22 counties, totaling 20,087 acres, Mizer said. An additional $7.9 million in federal grant funds was allocated for the same purpose.

Last month, a farm in Oxford was tapped to be the first Butler County farm in the program.

"I think that's an outstanding program," local farmer Morris Van Gorden said. "Each farmer has the opportunity to do that, and if he wants to do that, I think it's great."

Those who do choose to stick with a rural way of life often face mounting costs.

"With the price of fuel still climbing, filling the combine's tank might cost a farmer several hundred dollars a day," said Morris Van Gorden's son, Tim, who opted out of farming for truck driving.

He compared farming with owning a home or a car.

"Only it's a lot more upkeep," he said. "It takes money to keep it in working order. It's a whole lot different than raising a few tomatoes or green beans in your garden."

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5126 or eschwartzberg@coxohio.com.