DELAWARE - The Delaware Department of Agriculture along with Governor Carney and state legislators have inducted three families into the Century Farm Program, honoring them for owning and farming their land for at least 100 years.
According to the Department of Agriculture, the Century Farm Program first began in 1987 to honor Delawareans who have kept farmland within their family for an entire century. The farm must include at least 10 acres of the original parcel or gross more than $10,000 annually.
Delaware has now recognized 155 families in the past 37 years for the accomplishment, the Department of Agriculture says.
“Agriculture has long been Delaware’s number one industry. Family farms built our state; in fact, there are 18 farms still in operation that are older than Delaware,” said Governor Carney. “I’m honored to be a part of this event recognizing the committed work of these three family farms who have been a part of our state’s history for 100 years.”
Families who earn this rare recognition receive a sign for their farms, an engraved plate, a certificate, and legislative tributes.
The latest inductees into the Century Farm Program are:
-R & C Evans Farm L.P. of Harrington in Kent County. 64 acres of R & C Evans Farm was originally purchased in 1917. Today, the 60-acre farm is located in Milford Hundred.
-Fleetwood Family Farm of Laurel in Sussex County. The original 55-acre Fleetwood Farm was first purchased in 1920. The farm now exists as a 35-acre property in Broad Creek Hundred and contains the original farmhouse built in 1845.
-Warnick Family Farm in Greenwood, Sussex County. The farm was originally purchased in 1914, and the original farmhouse is still in use.