Howard County farm inducted into Arkansas Century Farm Program

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    The Lochridge Place farm of Howard County recently was inducted into the Arkansas Century Farm Program during a ceremony at the state Capitol. Those attending the ceremony include (adults) Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Jennifer Young Brown, Patsy Harris Young, David E. Young, Major Dave Young, Christy Young, Bethany Harris, Scott Harris, Matilda Young, and Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward; (children) Fletcher Young, Ruby Young, Scarlett Harris, and andy Harris.

    A Howard County farm is among 44 Arkansas farms which were inducted into the Arkansas Century Farm Program during a ceremony at the state Capitol earlier this month.

    The Lochridge Place farm, established in 1904, of Howard County was among the inductees. The Arkansas Century Farm program recognizes Arkansas farms of at least 10 acres owned by the same family for a century or more.

    Lochridge Place was purchased in 1904 for $150 by Tinie Lochridge, Patsy Harris Young’s grandmother. Tinie, her husband Henry Glover, and Charles Wagner, their hired man, were quite self-sufficient, according to Young. They raised cotton, cows, food crops, had a dairy, orchards and several barns and a blacksmith shop.

    Later Fletcher and Ruby Harris (Tinie’s daughter) raised chickens. The late Cecil Harris, Patsy’s brother, owned the land for a few years and raised cows and chickens. Today Patsy and David E. Young, their son Major Dave Young and wife Christy work the farm, located in the Fellowship Community.

    “Agriculture is part of the fabric, fiber and culture of Arkansas,” said Gov. Asa Hutchinson at the induction ceremony. “These families represent a commitment to agriculture and a commitment to family values,” he said.

    Including the inductees, 341 farms are currently recognized by the Arkansas Century Farm Program. The 44 newly inducted Century Farms are located in the following 29 counties: Arkansas, Ashley, Boone, Clay, Columbia, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Crittenden, Cross, Desha, Faulkner, Garland, Howard, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Logan, Lonoke, Monroe, Pike, Poinsett, Prairie, Scott, Sharp, St. Francis, Union, Washington, and White. A complete list of all 341 farms may be found at http://aad.arkansas.gov/Pages/CenturyFarmList.aspx

    The Arkansas Agriculture Department began the Century Farm program in 2012 as a way to highlight the contributions of these families to the agriculture industry as well as their overall contributions to the state. 

    Applications for 2017 Century Farm Inductees will open in February 2017.