Century Farm application deadline approaching

Published 5:00 pm Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Applications are now being accepted for the Century Farm & Ranch Program, a statewide recognition program honoring farmers and ranchers who have worked the same land for at least 100 years. The program is administered through the Oregon Agricultural Education Foundation (OAEF) in Salem and is partially funded through a partnership of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the Oregon Historical Society, and the Oregon Farm Bureau.

Family farmers and ranchers throughout Oregon are encouraged to apply by the July 1 deadline. Successful applicants receive a handsome certificate signed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski. A durable metal road sign to identify their property as having historic Century Farm or Century Ranch status is also available. Each family will be honored during a special ceremony and reception at the Oregon State Fair this summer.

Since the start of the program in 1958, more than 1,000 farms and ranches across the state have been registered. Oregon has one of the oldest agricultural heritage programs of this type in the entire nation.

A formal application process is required for properties to be considered for the program. To qualify as a Century Farm or Century Ranch, the family must meet a total of nine criteria, including the following:

The farm or ranch must have been operated continuously in the same family for 100 years or more. If the farm has ever been rented or leased, it will not qualify. Documentation is required.

The farm must have a gross income from farm or ranch use of not less than $1,000 per year for three out of five years immediately preceding application.

Family members must live on the property, or actively manage and direct the farming or ranching operations.

Application materials are preserved in manuscript collections of the Oregon Historical Society Library and provide useful information for research on the history of agriculture in Oregon.

To receive the application guidelines and the official form, please contact Glenn Mason, Oregon Century Farm and Ranch Project Coordinator at (503) 297-5892 or orcentury@juno.com, or you may download the application guidelines from the Department of Agriculture Web site at: http://oda.state.or.us/information/oregon_ag/cfr.html.