Monday, November 5, 2018

New Century Farm Recognized in Worth County

Vonda Runde, Debora Sherer, and Lola Bean were presented with his Century Farm designation on Monday, October 29 by the Worth County Extension Council .   The sisters had 197 qualifying acres which were acquired in 1897 by their great great grandfather Martin Barkman.

The Missouri Century Farm program's history dates back to 1976 as a result of the Missouri Committee for Agriculture that was co-chaired by James B. Boillot, Director, Missouri Department of Agriculture, and Elmer R. Kiehl, Dean of the College of Agriculture, University of Missouri. The committee's purpose was to organize the American Revolution Bicentennial celebration in Missouri.

One activity that was initiated by the committee was the "Centennial Farm" project, which awarded certificates to persons owning farms that had been in the same family for 100 years or more. Interest in the program continued after 1976. The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and University of Missouri Extension planned a 10-year update in 1986 called the "Century Farm" program. This program has been sustained as a yearly event with over 100 farms recognized each year. In 2008, the Missouri Farm Bureau became a program co-sponsor.  A listing of Missouri Century Farms can be found at http://extension.missouri.edu/centuryfarm/

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