Get the Scoop on CAUV March 29

In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” That may be true, but there are ways to make the most of both.

That’s why Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is joining forces with Holmes and Ashland County Farm Bureaus and Holmes SWCD to host the Conservation Chat: The CAUV Scoop on March 29 at Round Lake.

CAUV—also knows as Current Agricultural Use Value—is a real estate tax program that taxes farmland at a rate that reflects its agricultural value instead of its value as a development property. While CAUV is nothing new (it’s been around since 1973 as an incentive to preserve farmland), there have beeb significant reforms in the program.

“Everyone has questions when it comes to CAUV: How does it affect my taxes? Why are my taxes still high? What can I do to reduce my taxes?,” said Jane Houin, Ashland SWCD Director. “The answers to those questions can vary from county to county and from landowner to landowner. That’s why we’re bringing together the best of the best from both our local government here in Ashland and Holmes counties to the CAUV policy leaders at the state to really answer those questions and help landowners really understand the process and determine if they need to make any changes in their operations.”

The last round of major CAUV reforms went into place in 2017, with those changes taking place over two reassessment cycles, or six years. CAUV values are based on a variety of factors: crop prices, production costs, crop patterns, yields and more.

“One significant change in the last CAUV reform was that land used in year-round conservation practices or land that is enrolled in a federal conservation program is valued at the lowest minimum tax set by the Tax Department,” said Houin. “That’s a great, newer aspect of the program because is really rewards farmers for participating in voluntary conservation. But, because it’s a newer program, a lot of landowners don’t realize that their farm may qualify for these additional savings.”

As part of the Conservation Chat, staff will be on-hand from both the Ashland and Holmes County Auditor offices to talk about their CAUV processes and programs and answer questions from the audience. There will also be a state representative on-hand from Ohio Farm Bureau to talk about CAUV reform and policies and answer any additional CAUV questions.

The Conservation Fieldprint Conservation Chat will take place at 6 p.m. at Round Lake Christian Assembly on March 29. There is no cost to the program, and pre-registration is not required. However, pre-registration is encouraged to help organizers plan to have plenty of ice cream on-hand for an ice cream sundae bar.

RSVPs can be made online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conservation-chat-the-cauv-scoop-tickets-513114869387 or by calling  419-281-7645.