[Photo: Oregon Farm Bureau] March 7, 2019 Episode.
As you have driven along the backroads of Oregon, you've probably seen a sign similar to the one pictured here standing off the roadway. Did you wonder what it signified or how it came to be posted in that location? We have seen several such signs along the rural roadsides in Marion and Polk Counties. As we are showcasing our agricultural heritage this year, we thought we would see if we could find the answers to these questions. Lo and behold, not only did we discover a lot of information about this program sponsored by the Oregon Farm Bureau, but we learned that a friend of our show would be most happy to come and talk with our listeners about this special heritage award.
As you have driven along the backroads of Oregon, you've probably seen a sign similar to the one pictured here standing off the roadway. Did you wonder what it signified or how it came to be posted in that location? We have seen several such signs along the rural roadsides in Marion and Polk Counties. As we are showcasing our agricultural heritage this year, we thought we would see if we could find the answers to these questions. Lo and behold, not only did we discover a lot of information about this program sponsored by the Oregon Farm Bureau, but we learned that a friend of our show would be most happy to come and talk with our listeners about this special heritage award.
Andy Zimmerman of the Oregon Department of Agriculture arrived at our studio to represent this program that annually recognizes farms and ranches that have been in continuous family ownership and operation for at least 100 years, hence the Centennial tag. Additionally, the program has begun recognizing some in operation even longer, the Sesquicentennial farms in family ownership for 150 years! You may remember Andy from a 2018 episode regarding his newspaper articles about Salem's history, "Statesman-Journal Time Capsules." Same guy, different hat.
[Photo: Oregon Farm Bureau] Instituted in 1958 in preparation for the 1959 Oregon State Centennial observance, this program was designed to recognize the importance of agriculture in our history as well as current times. Over the years since that first Centennial focus, some 1,212 farms have been designated as a Centennial Farm-Ranch, and 40 have been designated as Sesquicentennial Farms-Ranches. Thirty-five of Oregon's 36 counties have at least one farm officially designated. Deschutes County in eastern Oregon is the lone holdout, and Andy hinted that this just may be remedied this year.
There are specific criteria to be addressed and considered when reviewing an application for designation. The family must prove legal ownership of the property, document that it was under the same family ownership for at least 100 years, and demonstrate that the farm produced a gross profit of at least $1000 per year. A committee made up of folks from across the state reviews the applications, with an average of 12 farms receiving the award each year. Andy explained that there are several similar programs across the nation, each with its own character--some are ongoing, like Oregon's, and others honored farms for specific events.
There are specific criteria to be addressed and considered when reviewing an application for designation. The family must prove legal ownership of the property, document that it was under the same family ownership for at least 100 years, and demonstrate that the farm produced a gross profit of at least $1000 per year. A committee made up of folks from across the state reviews the applications, with an average of 12 farms receiving the award each year. Andy explained that there are several similar programs across the nation, each with its own character--some are ongoing, like Oregon's, and others honored farms for specific events.
So why would a family want to be named as a Century Farm/Ranch? There are no tax incentives, as there are with certain historic property designations. What it does do is recognize the planning, determination and hard work that is required to survive in this form of business over these many years, all the while building a family's legacy and living its history. At the award presentation held at the State Fair in August each year, whole extended families come together to receive the award and celebrate the "grit" gene that flows through their bloodlines.
 Annual Award Presentations [Photos: Oregon Farm Bureau] |  |
If you would like to learn more about this program, check out the Century Farms website. There you can find a list of the farms and ranches throughout the state and, better yet, the narratives submitted by the families who have been recognized over the last several years.
~~Posted by Deb Meaghers
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