Friends and neighbors,
Minnesota has a rich agricultural tradition. It is a major driver of our economy, and we have very fertile land and a climate conducive to agriculture. Just as important, Minnesota also has a strong tradition of family farms. More than 85% of farms in the state are individual or family-owned. These farms form the backbone of many rural communities and our state’s agricultural heritage.
Among those family farms are a select few that have been in continuous operation dating back to the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Minnesota State Fair and the Minnesota Farm Bureau honor the multi-generational farms with Century Farm and Sesquicentennial Farm designations.
Century farms have been in continuous family ownership for at least 100 years and encompass 50 acres or more. Receiving the Century Farm honor is a momentous achievement, signifying a family’s commitment to preserving their land and way of life across multiple generations. Since the program began back in 1976, over 11,000 Minnesota farms have earned this distinguished recognition.
- This year’s Century farm honorees are: Good Thunder – Hollerich Farm, 1919; Vernon Center – Nobles Farm, 1888; Blue Earth – Olsen Farms, 1920; Dunnell – Stade Farm, 1922; East Chain Township – Olson Home Place 1911.
The Sesquicentennial Farm designation is reserved for a rare and special group of farms that have remained in the same family for 150 years or more. To qualify, the farm must be at least 50 acres in size and actively involved in agricultural production. Just imagine – these families have nurtured the same land through the Civil War era, two World Wars, the Great Depression, and every other national and global event over the past century and a half.
- This year’s Sesquicentennial farm honorees are: Lake Crystal – Willow Grove Farm Davis Family of, 1873; Blue Earth – Reko Farm, 1864; New Prague – Minar Century Farm, 1872; Waterville Jeff Stangler Farm 1871; Dunnell – Wilson Family Farm, 1870; Welcome – Rooney Run, 1866.
The families being honored this year exemplify the values that make Minnesota agriculture so strong – hard work, perseverance, and a dedication to keeping family farms thriving into the future.
We congratulate these multi-generational farm families on maintaining their historic connections to the land. They inspire us all, showing that with care and commitment, farms can flourish across generations. Here’s to honoring their past success and future prosperity!
Other victories for agriculture this year
This year’s legislative session under complete Democrat control was, unfortunately mostly divisive and extreme, but there were areas where we found agreement. Agriculture is one of them.
This year we provided additional funding for small meat processors, biofuels infrastructure, soil health grants for farmers, and for agricultural research. These are important areas that can badly use the assistance.
We approved $4 million in one-time Dairy Assistance, Investment, and Relief Initiative (DAIRI) grant funding, which will provide some needed immediate assistance for dairy farmers.
We also provided another $50 million this biennium for broadband expansion, on top of the more than $650 million Minnesota received from the federal government as part of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. High-speed internet is no longer simply a luxury. It is a necessity. There are still a lot of areas of the state that are underserved or unserved, but we’re reaching more homes every year.
Contact me:
If you have any questions about any of these issues or any other issue the legislature is working on, please don’t hesitate to contact me any time. My email is Sen.Rich.Draheim@Senate.mn, and my phone number is 651-296-5558.
And please follow me on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/SenatorRichDraheim/
It is a privilege to serve you.