OZARK — The Arkansas Agriculture Department presented “Arkansas Century Farm” signs Thursday at the Franklin County Courthouse to farmers and ranchers in Arkansas whose families have owned and farmed the same land for at least 100 years.
Eighteen of the greenand-white metal signs were awarded to farmers in 10 counties, mostly in Northwest Arkansas. The farmers may post the signs where they wish, perhaps by the main gate or house.
This is the first year for the Century Farm program, established to recognize the state’s agricultural heritage.
The Charlie Miller Farm south of Fayetteville in Washington County was the oldest farm to receive an award this year.
James Miller told about 50 people who gathered to accept the signs that the farm was established in 1837 and the family still possesses the original land grant for the property, which President Martin Van Buren signed.
The farm covers 320 acres, and the family has cattle on the property, Miller said.
Butch Calhoun, the state agriculture secretary, handed out the signs and took photos with recipients.
“It means a lot to them — their heritage,” Calhoun said.
While the Miller farm was the longest-held property awarded a sign, Myra Johnson of Clarksville, accepting for the Myra Johnson Farm of Coal Hill in Johnson County, was apparently the oldest attendee.
“Who here is older than 94?” she asked. Nobody spoke up.
Zachary Taylor, director of marketing for the department, said the idea for the program came from farm family requests coming in over the past three years. Similar programs are in place on the East Coast, he said.
The program does not restrict use of the property and is voluntary. Applications must be on forms provided by the department and come from the property’s legal owner. They must include proof that the property has been owned by the family for at least a century.
Eighty-three signs are being issued statewide at a cost of about $50 each, Taylor said. The program is ongoing and will begin to accept new applications in February.
The signs are 2- by nearly 3-feet and are made by the sign shop at the Correction Department’s Cummins Unit in Lincoln County. Specifications were set by the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, Taylor said.
To qualify, farms must have been at least 10 acres at the time the land was obtained and the land must be used for some type of for-profit farming or ranching activity.
Farms must have been owned by the same family for 100 years as of Dec. 31 to qualify this year. The line of ownership from the original buyer can be traced through any number of relationships including children, grandchildren, siblings, or nephews, including through marriage or adoption.
Joe Motley of Motley Farms in Bentonville said in an earlier interview that the program is important and a good way to help people remember how long farming and ranching have been vital enterprises in the state. He and his sister, Carol Macon of Tulsa, own the cattle farm.
The farmstead was only 60 acres when his grandfather purchased it in 1909 for $1,700; the farm has grown to about 140 acres in western Benton County, just north of Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport.
“I’m glad we’ve held onto it for this long,” he said.
Motley Farms is one of two farms in Benton County that received signs, but he noted that the area is becoming more urban.
“Around here,” said Motley, 64, “everything is getting paved over.”
Business, Pages 27 on 12/07/2012