South Dakota Farm and Ranch Recognition Program deadline approaching

Applications must be submitted by Thursday, August 13th

By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

Agriculture is South Dakota’s premier industry, generating more than $25.6 billion of economic activity and providing more than 115,000 people with jobs.

One way officials from the South Dakota Farm Bureau are protecting, promoting and preserving the state’s agricultural history is with the South Dakota Farm & Ranch Recognition Program. It honors farms and families who have run farming operations for 100 or 125 consecutive years.

For a farm to be eligible for the honor, it must meet three requirements:

• The farm has been owned by a member of the same family or 100 or 125 years
• The farm is at least 80 acres in size
• The owners must have proof of the original purchase date

Since the South Dakota Farm Bureau introduced the award in 1984, the South Dakota Department of Agriculture has helped recognize 2,770 century farms and ranches, along with 250 quasicentennial (125 year) farms and ranches.

Applications must be submitted by Thursday, August 13^th and the winners will be honored during the South Dakota State Fair on Thursday, September 3^rd.

Oldest farms in the United States:

1. Appleton Farm, Ipswich Massachusetts – 373 years old
2. Shirley Plantation, Charles City, Virginia – 292 years old
3. Tuttle’s Red Barn, Dover, New Hampshire – 383 years old
4. Fieldview Farm, Orange, Connecticut – 376 years old
5. Barker’s Farm, North Andover, Massachusetts – 373 years old