Century Farm & Ranch 19 Awards

Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program Awards Century Status to 19 Farms & Ranches in 2009
By Oregon Agricultural Education Foundation,

(Salem, Or) – At an annual awards ceremony at the Oregon State Fair, families from across the state will receive recognition for operating as a Century Farm or Century Ranch.  The 2009 ceremony will be held on Saturday, September 5, at 3:00 p.m. outside at the new State Fair Tower on the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem. The ceremony also will be a continuation of the State’s 150th birthday. The public is invited to join the Oregon Agricultural Education Foundation (OAEF) and its major partners, the Oregon Farm Bureau, the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, Oregon Travel Information Council, the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and the Oregon Historical Society for this special event.

Seventeen farms and two ranches from 11 different counties will be honored this year, bringing the total number of Oregon Century Farms and Ranches to 1101.  The farm family applicants being acknowledged in 2009 are:  Larry & Sheri Bartels, Marion County; Marie Brady, Douglas County; Helen A. Carleton, Klamath County; Glen L. Ek, Clackamas County; James B. Greiner, Gilliam County; Robert J. Hoffman, Clackamas County; Henry Jaeger & William Jaeger, Gilliam County; Doris Knox, Washington County; Leonard & Carol Obersinner, Marion County; Dan & Ann Louise Peters, Marion County; Herbert Luther Peterson, Morrow County; Robert & Sharon Shelburne, Yamhill County; James J. Schlechter, Marion County; Byron Scott Farms / Jenks, Linn County; Byron Scott Farms / Knighton, Linn County; Timothy A. & Mary L. Sowa, Clackamas County; and the Van Horn Vineyards, Hood River County. The ranch families receiving the Century award are: Steve Gilbert, Linn County; and, Dement Ranch, Curry County.

The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program began in 1958 to honor farm and ranch families with century-long connections to the land.   In the course of its 51-year history, the program has honored these 1000 + families by recognizing their perseverance in the ever-changing challenge of supplying food and other farm products to the state, the nation and the world, as well as their commitment to farming and ranching, a reflection of Oregon’s rich agricultural heritage.

To attain the century farm or ranch designation, a family must follow a formal application process.  A 9-member Advisory Management Committee reviews 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.  Important information from the completed applications is entered into a CF&R database, which will soon be available online. When the families are awarded the status of century farm or century ranch, each receives a certificate with acknowledgment by Governor Ted Kulongoski and Katy Coba, the director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture.  A metal roadside sign denoting century status, the name of the farm or ranch, and the year established also is made available to each family. The roadside signs for the 2009 award honoree families will be provided to them free of charge, thanks to a generous grant from the Oregon Travel Information Council, the Program’s newest Partner.  According to Cheryl Gribskov, director of the Travel Information Council, and a new member of the Program’s Management Committee, “We are pleased to partner with the Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program. Our organization places high value on Oregon’s heritage assets. We proudly manage Oregon’s Heritage Tree Program and Historical Marker Program and the CF&R Program is a natural fit for us.  It is vital that we create awareness
and preserve these unique features in our state because they make Oregon such a special place to live and do business.”

The 2009 award ceremony is made possible, in part, by contributions from Roth’s Family Markets, the Hazelnut Marketing Board, the Tillamook County Creamery Association and the Oregon Wheat Growers League.  The Oregon State Fair each year is a generous partner in providing assistance with the award ceremony. Other supporters of the OCF&R Program in 2008 / 2009 include Jackson County Farm Bureau, Dave Barrows & Associates, Troy & Holly Michaels, Coos-Curry County Farm Bureau, Washington County Farm Bureau, Wasco County Farm Bureau, Marion County Farm Bureau, Cultural Images, Richard Engeman, Dale & Jackie Buck, Don & Judy Schellenberg, and Kyle & Carol Jansson.

The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch program is administered through the Oregon Agricultural Education Foundation (OAEF), a 501 (c) 3 Oregon non-profit organization, in cooperation with the Oregon Farm Bureau, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Oregon Travel Information Council, the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and the Oregon Historical Society. For information about the Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program and its newest program, the Sesquicentennial Award (for 150-year family farms & ranches in Oregon), contact Glenn Mason, Program Coordinator, [email protected].

OAEF is recognized by the Oregon Cultural Trust.  Make a gift to the Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program – your matching gift to the Oregon Cultural Trust is eligible for an income tax credit.  More information on how to make a contribution to the CF&R Program and the Oregon Cultural Trust is available at www.culturaltrust.org.  The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program has been designated an Oregon 150 Partner. Check the Oregon 150 website www.oregon150.org to link to OCF&R Program Sesquicentennial Projects.

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