LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward inducted 46 Arkansas farms into the Arkansas Century Farm Program at the State Capitol on Monday, Oct. 28.
Chambers Farm of Howard County was among those honored. At the Capitol to receive recognition were Jerry Chambers and his daughters, Karla Bray and Sandy Alexander.
The Arkansas Century Farm program recognizes Arkansas farms of 10 acres or more owned by the same family for at least 100 years.
Arkansas Department of Agriculture began the Century Farm program in 2012 to highlight the contributions of these families to the agriculture industry as well as their overall contributions to our state.
Agriculture is Arkansas’s largest industry, contributing more than $21 billion to the state’s economy annually and providing one in every six jobs in the state. Arkansas consistently ranks in the top 25 nationally in the production of more than 15 agricultural commodities.
“How reassuring that we
are adding more families to the Arkansas Century Farm Program,” Governor Hutchinson said. “Families who have held on to their farms for generations lend a sense of continuity in a time of frequent change. These families pass down more than the knowledge of farming. They are handing down love of family and an ethic of hard work as well as a love for the land.”
Including the 2019 inductees, 464 farms are currently recognized as Arkansas Century Farms. The 46 newly inducted Century Farms are located in the following 30 counties: Arkansas, Benton, Clay, Conway, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Howard, Independence, Izard, Lawrence, Lincoln, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Mississippi, Monroe, Nevada, Poinsett, Polk, Prairie, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Sharp, Stone, Union, and Woodruff.
Applications for the 2020 Century Farm Inductees will open in February. For questions about the Arkansas Century Farm program, contact Mary Elizabeth Lea at maryelizabeth.lea@agriculture.arkansas.gov.
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is dedicated to the development and implementation of policies and programs for Arkansas agriculture and forestry to keep its farmers and ranchers competitive in national and international markets while ensuring safe food, fiber, and forest products for the citizens of the state and nation. Visit aad.arkansas.gov.
