Louisiana Honoring Longtime Family, Farmers,, Ranchers

By Ellyn Couvillion

Baton Rouge Advocate

Some of Louisiana's farmers, ranchers and timberland holders have held and worked their land for generations, going back 100 years or more. The state is trying to honor that commitment.

Since it was launched in 2014, the Century Farm Program has honored 75 such families, said Mike Strain, commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

''And we're going to honor at least five families next year,'' Strain said.

More may step up in the next few weeks.

Farm families who qualify for the program are encouraged to apply by Dec. 31 to have their families' stories told and honored at the annual convention of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, slated for June 22-25 in New Orleans.

''There's a great deal of family pride in those farms,'' Strain said. ''At the recognition ceremony, there are often multiple generations of family from great-grandparents down to little children.''

The Century Farm Program was created to encourage the preservation and commitment to farm families.

They're important, making up 98% of U.S. farms and serving as the primary source of food production in the country, according to a 2020 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service.

Strain said it's not known how many of the approximately 27,400 Louisiana farmers and ranchers or the 10,000 owners of timber have seen their land passed down in the family for generations.

But the Century Farm Program, sponsored by the state Department of Agriculture, LSU AgCenter, Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation and the Louisiana Land Bank, is a way to learn about and recognize them.

To be eligible for the program, the farm must meet the following criteria:

■ Has the farm been in the family continuously for at least 100 years?

■ Does the farm have at least 20 acres of the original founder's land?

■ Is at least one owner a resident of Louisiana?

■ Does the farm produce at least $1,000 in farming income annually? (Timber production income will vary annually but can still qualify) The farms held by the same families for a century or more and honored earlier this year were: East Linden Plantation in Iberia Parish; Helena Plantation in Tensas Parish; The Hill Place in Bossier Parish; Lee Mains Farm in Sabine Parish; Olinger Farm in Acadia Parish; and Paxton Family Farm in East Feliciana Parish.

''It's a wonderful ceremony,'' Strain said. ''Everybody is there, honoring them.''

Those wishing to apply for the program may email Lillie Adams Wiley of the state agriculture department at ladams@ldaf.la.gov or call at (318) 949-3225. There is no cost to apply.