Georgia Centennial Farm program honors 13 families

by Jennifer Whittaker, GAFB

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Georgia Centennial Farm Awards program, which honors farms that have been operating for 100 years or more. The program began with Georgia Farm Bureau joining forces with other state agencies in 1993 to offer a way to identify and recognize farm families who had been farming for 100 years or more.

Since 1993, more than 620 farms have been recognized. This year, 13 were celebrated during a ceremony at the Georgia National Fair held Oct. 11.

“Thank you for taking care of your farms so your children and grandchildren will have somewhere to come back home to. Thank you for keeping your farms producing for over a hundred years or more,” Georgia Farm Bureau President Tom McCall said while speaking at the 2023 Georgia Centennial Family Farm ceremony. “Georgia Farm Bureau works representing family farms like yours at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta and the U.S. Capitol in D.C., so y’all can concentrate on farming. Most of you are Farm Bureau members, but if you’re not, I encourage you to join our organization.”

Recipients of the 2023 Centennial Family Farm Award are:

• Boggy Branch Farm, Bulloch County

• L & M Farms, Bulloch County

• Teloga Springs Farm, Chattooga County

• Stone Family Farm, Cook County

• Ash Farms, Effingham County

• The Threatte Farm at Bunton Place, Evans County

• Price Family Farm, Franklin County

• J.B. Gay & Son, Jenkins County

• R. E. Roberts Farm, Jones County

• Ganas Farm, Lanier County

• White Family Barn Farm, Lumpkin County

• Rolling D Farms, LLC, Murray County

• Fulghum-Beusse Farms, Wilcox County

Farms may be recognized with one of three awards. The Centennial Family Farm Award recognizes farms owned by members of the same family for 100 years or more. The Centennial Heritage Family Farm Award honors farms owned by the same family for 100 years or more that are listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The Centennial Farm Award does not require continual family ownership but farms must be at least 100 years old and listed in the NRHP.

“This is a big day to recognize families that have given so much to our state. The fact that your farms have been in operation for at least 100 years, and in many cases more, is remarkable,” Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said while speaking at the 2023 Georgia Centennial Family Farm ceremony.

This program is administered by the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs with support from Georgia Farm Bureau, Georgia EMC, the Georgia Department of Agriculture, Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter and UGA Extension.