Ohio salutes its bicentennial and centennial farms

REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — In 2014, the Ohio Department of Agriculture recognized 104 new century or bicentennial farms owned by the same family for at least 100 or 200 consecutive years.

There are now more than 1,100 historic farms registered across the state.

“These historic farms are the foundation of Ohio’s agriculture industry,” said Ohio Department of Agriculture Director David T. Daniels. “The families have withstood the test of time, often through adversity, to provide us with life’s essentials. We owe them a debt of gratitude.”

State program

The Ohio Bicentennial and Century Farms program is a voluntary program administered by the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The department has recognized families who have owned their farms for at least 100 years since 1993.

In 2013, the department began officially recognizing bicentennial farms in acknowledgment of the growing number of century farms that had reached their 200-year anniversary of same-family ownership.

Anyone who can verify that a currently owned farm has remained in their family for at least 100 years may register. For more information, visit www.agri.ohio.gov/divs/cent_farms/, or contact Cindy Shy in the Office of Communication at 614-752-9817 or cindy.shy@agri.ohio.gov.