MOULTON — The Auglaize County 175th Anniversary Committee presents “Ohio Century Farms and Auglaize County” with Chandra Miller Hoffman on Tuesday, April 25, at 7 p.m., at Trinity Lutheran Church, 33A, Moulton. The event is free and open to the public; use the (south) portico entrance to the church.
Retired educator and past president of the Auglaize County Historical Society, Chandra Miller Hoffman conducted the research to list her family’s Washington Township farm as a Century Farm. Her illustration-filled powerpoint presentation will share a fascinating journey through genealogy and fam research. The 175th committee hopes that Hoffman’s program will inspire others to gain the historic farm designation during the county’s anniversary.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture recognizes the many social, economic and historic contributions made by Ohio’s founding farm families. Ohio’s Historic Family Farms program was developed as a way to honor these families for their enduring legacy to our state. The program grants three designations based on the number of years of same-family ownership: Century Farms (100-149 years); Sesquicentennial Farms (150-199 years); and Bicentennial Farms (200 years and more). The application process is parallel for each designation. Qualified registrants receive an heirloom certificate signed by the Governor of Ohio and the Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
Just like the farming industry, the Ohio’s Historic Family Farms program has evolved over time. Starting out in 1993 as the competitive “Outstanding Century Farm Awards” program, it honored a total of eight farms each year.
In 2003, the program title changed to “Ohio Century Farms,” and all qualified farms received the century farm designation.
During Ohio’s bicentennial celebration in 2003, 13 farms were recognized for 200 years of same-family ownership. Ten years later, in 2013, the Ohio Department of Agriculture created the “Ohio Bicentennial Farm” designation to officially recognize farms reaching this anniversary.
The “Ohio Sesquicentennial Farm” designation was added in 2016 for farms in the same family for at least 150 years. To encompass all three designations – century, sesquicentennial and bicentennial – the program’s title was changed to “Ohio’s Historic Family Farms.”
