Last August, Oregon’s Century Farm & Ranch Program, which is administered through the Oregon Farm Bureau Foundation for Education, honored a total of eleven farm and ranches at the Oregon State Fair. Five farms and ranches were honored as a Century Farm or Ranch and six were awarded the Sesquicentennial (150 years) award. The recipients come from six different counties throughout Oregon, which brings the total number of Oregon Century Farms and Ranches to 1,257 and Sesquicentennial to 57.
The award recipients receive a certificate signed by the Governor and Director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Historic roadside signs are imprinted with the founder’s name and the year the ranch or farm was established.
The 2023 Century Farm Families honorees are:
Craig Family Ranch: Founded in Summerville, Oregon, in Union County in 1901 by Daniel and Lydia Craig. The applicants are Dallas and Bonnie Craig. Dallas is the great-grandson of founders Daniel and Lydia Craig.
Maney West Farm: Founded in Umatilla County in 1882 by David Gordon Jr. The applicant is Benjamin Maney. Benjamin is the great-great-grandson of founder David Gordon Jr.
Orchard View: Founded in The Dalles, Oregon, in Wasco County in 1923 by Walter and Mabel Bailey. The applicant is Brenda Thomas. There are currently two generations of family members involved in the farm operation, and Brenda Thomas is the great-granddaughter of founder Walter Bailey.
Pimm Farms, Inc.: Founded in Linn County in 1917 by John Pimm. The applicants are the Pimm Family Limited Partnership/Eric Pimm. Eric Pimm is the great-great-grandson of founder John Pimm.
Roth Farm: Founded in Albany, Oregon, in Linn County in 1923 by David and Elizabeth Roth. The applicant is Larry Roth. Larry Roth is the grandson of David and Elizabeth Roth.
The 2023 Sesquicentennial Families being honored are:
Harnisch Farms Inc.: Founded in Linn County in 1863 by JJ Davis. The applicant is Esther Harnisch. Esther Harnish is the great-great-great-granddaughter of founder JJ Davis.
Midway Ranches: Founded near Heppner, Oregon in Umatilla County that later became Morrow County in 1873 by Albert Wright. The applicants are Gerald & Dianna Wright Hoeft. Dianna is the great-great-granddaughter of founders Albert and Julia Ann Wright.
Loosley Ranch: Founded in Klamath County in 1873 by John and Lucy Loosley. The applicants are Randall and Jeanie Kizer. Randall is the great-great-grandson of founders John and Lucy Loosley.
Lee Family Farm: Founded in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, in Umatilla County in 1871 by Hiram Benoni Lee. The applicants are John Dale and Deborah Lynne Barker Lee. John Dale is the great-grandson of founder Hiram Benoni Lee.
Pimm Farm Inc.: Founded in Halsey, Oregon in Linn County in 1870 by Robert L. Smith. The applicants are the Pimm Family Limited Partnership/Eric Pimm. Eric is the great-great-great-grandson of the founder Robert L. Smith.
Thayer Farm: Founded in Linn County in 1853 by Peter and Nancy Cyrus Powell. The applicants are Robert Dale and Vicki Lynn Thayer (Trust). Vicki Lynn Thayer is the great-great-granddaughter of founders Peter and Nancy Cyrus Powell.
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