Southwest Regional outlines farmland-preservation plan update; county must submit to state this year

Southwest Regional staff told the Richland County Natural Resources Standing Committee on April 6 that the county must update its farmland-preservation plan and submit it to the state Department of Agriculture by the end of the year to remain in compliance.

Natalie Strait (Southwest Regional), introduced to the committee by county staff, said Richland County’s plan — adopted in 2016 — needs a 10-year update. "Richland County has a farmland preservation plan that has been in, that was adopted in 2016. Those are required, by Department of agriculture to be updated every 10 years," she said, and noted the plan must be submitted to the state by year-end.

Strait described the goals for the 2026 plan: maximize the land area eligible for farmland-preservation tax credits, integrate mapping with the county comprehensive plan and identify additional lands based on parcel size, soils, slopes and other factors. She emphasized that the farmland-preservation plan itself does not change zoning but creates opportunity and criteria for preservation and eligibility for tax credits; it also requires farmers to meet soil and water conservation standards and certain revenue thresholds to claim credits.

County staff said the committee will revisit goals and likely bring a public presentation to the county board; staff expect to complete outreach and draft-map work in the coming months to meet state submission deadlines.

Next steps: staff will return with proposed goals and mappings at a future meeting and later present the draft plan to the county board for approval and state submission.