Applications are now being accepted for the 2017 award year for the Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program. The application deadline is May 1, 2017. Families throughout Oregon who have continuously farmed portions of their family acreage for the past 100 or 150 years are invited to apply. The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program began in 1958 to honor farm and ranch families with century-long connections to the land. To qualify for a century or sesquicentennial award, interested families must follow a formal application process. Members of the Application Review Committee review each application against the qualifications, which include continuous family operation of the farm or ranch; a gross income from farm use of not less than $1,000 per year for at least three years out of five prior to application; and family members must live on or actively manage the farm or ranch activities. Application documentation may include photos, original deeds, personal stories, or other historic records. These records help support Oregon’s agricultural history by providing valuable information about settlement patterns and statistics on livestock and crop cycles. All documents are archived for public access. The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch application and program guidelines are available at http://www.oregonfb.org/centuryfarm, or by contacting Andréa Kuenzi at 503-400-7884 or cfr@oregonfb.org. Successful applicants receive a personalized certificate with acknowledgment by the Governor and the director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and a durable metal roadside sign to identify the family’s farm or ranch as having historic Century or Sesquicentennial status. Each family will be honored during a special ceremony and reception at the Oregon State Fair on August 26, 2017. Every Oregon farm and ranch has a unique history and special family story. The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch program encourages agriculture families to share these stories of century-long connections with a broader audience. By promoting family stories, rich cultural heritage is passed down to future generations while educating Oregonians about the social and economic impact of Oregon agriculture. To date, 1,175 families have formally received the Century designation and 33 families have received the Sesquicentennial Award. The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program is administered by the Oregon Farm Bureau Foundation for Education. It is supported by a partnership between the Oregon Farm Bureau, the State Historic Preservation Office: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Oregon State University Libraries’ Special Collections & Archives Research Center, the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and by generous donations of Oregonians. For information about the Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program, contact Andréa Kuenzi Program Coordinator, at 503-400-7884 or cfr@oregonfb.org.
