The 2024 applications for History Colorado’s Centennial Farms & Ranches Program have opened. Centennial Farms & Ranches, a joint initiative of History Colorado and the Colorado Department of Agriculture, honors the contributions of the state’s ranching and farming families that have withstood the pressures of growth, changes in farming methods, as well as evolving environmental and economic conditions to preserve important pieces of Colorado’s commercial and cultural history.
In 2022, the Centennial Farms & Ranches Program was expanded to recognize three additional categories of honorees associated with the agricultural history of the State of Colorado:
Centennial AgriBusiness – organizations or businesses that have been in operation for 100 or more years and primarily serve the agricultural community in Colorado (examples: seed companies, farm implement manufacturers, Farm Bureaus, etc.)
Centennial Families – families with agricultural experience in Colorado that spans 100 or more years (eg. 1924-present), not necessarily as landowners
Centennial Farmers or Ranchers – individuals 100 years of age or older who have spent a majority of their life in agricultural pursuits within the State of Colorado, even if they were not landowners
Expansion of the Centennial Farms & Ranches Program has allowed for a more equitable celebration of the diverse farming and ranching families who sustain the Centennial State by recognizing those who did not historically have the opportunity to own property–whether for economic, political, or discriminatory reasons.
Examples of honorees under this expanded criteria include:
Western Sugar Cooperative, a grower-owned Coop recognized for being an industry leader in sustainability, and a pioneer in the sugar beet industry of Northern Colorado
The Hirakata Family who began farming in Rocky Ford in 1915 and became leaders in Colorado agriculture while continuing to grow crops on their multi-generational farm in Otero County
Walter Amen, a wise, knowledgeable, and loving patriarch of Amen Angus Farms, Inc. who designed and built numerous pieces of customized machinery and equipment over the 101 years he stewarded his family farm in Logan County
To earn recognition within the Centennial Farms & Ranches Program, applicants must submit an application and provide verification of eligibility. A complete list of eligibility requirements can be found in the 2024 Centennial Farms & Ranches Application.
Awardees will be honored for their perseverance and resilience through the changing times at the Colorado State Fair, held every August in Pueblo, Colorado.
The deadline for applications is May 1, 2024. To apply or learn more, please visit h-co.org/CentennialFarms or call 303-866-3392.
Special to the Herald Times
