Photo courtesy of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture
Nine local farms were inducted into the Arkansas Century Farm Program Monday in Little Rock. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward recognized 36 farms in total across the state.
The Arkansas Century Farm Program recognizes Arkansas farms of 10 acres or more owned by the same family for at least 100 years. The Arkansas Department of Agriculture established the program in 2012 to highlight the contributions of these families to the agriculture industry as well as our state. The program is voluntary and there is no cost for participating families.
The 2023 Arkansas Century Farm Inductees are the Hensley Farm from Fulton County established in 1915 and the Windmill Hill Farm in Izard County established 1911.
Photo courtesy of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture
Photo courtesy of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture
604 farms are currently recognized as Arkansas Century Farms throughout the state. The 36 newly inducted farms are located in the following counties: Arkansas, Carroll, Cleburne, Conway, Craighead, Dallas, Faulkner, Fulton, Greene, Hempstead, Howard, Izard, Jackson, Jefferson, Lee, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Mississippi, Monroe, Nevada, Ouachita, Perry, Randolph, and Van Buren.
Agriculture is the largest industry in Arkansas and contributes more than $20.9 billion to the state’s economy annually. Arkansas has 41,900 farms and 96 percent are family owned.
After the induction, Gov. Sanders stated, “A country that can’t feed itself, fuel itself, and clothe itself can’t survive. That’s why it’s so important to thank and support our farmers. I was honored to join the newest inductees to Arkansas’ Century Farm Program. These 36 families have farmed the same land for over a century.”
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI