Centennial Farms honors the strength, tenacity and endurance of 19 100-year-old Colorado farms and ranches

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Aug 21, 2014, 11:00 ET

DENVER, Aug. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nineteen Colorado families who have owned and operated their farm or ranch for 100 years or more will be celebrated at the 28th Annual Centennial Farms Celebration on Friday, August 22, at 4 p.m. at the State Fair in Pueblo. Honorees will receive a certificate signed by Gov. Hickenlooper, as well as a sign to display on their property. Families are available for interview after the ceremony.

The Centennial Farms Program honor Colorado family farms and ranches that have persisted for a century, despite drought, economic conditions and changes in farming methods. (PRNewsFoto/History Colorado)

The awards honor Colorado family farms and ranches that have persisted for a century, despite drought, economic conditions and changes in farming methods. Additionally, this year History Colorado will honor its first-ever Centennial Farmer, Lyman Edgar from Rocky Ford, whose family property was honored as a Centennial Farm in 2009. This year he joins us to celebrate his 100th birthday.

2014 Colorado Centennial Farm Awardees:

Farm/Ranch Name	Year Settled	Town/County
Ament Farm and Ranch	1914	Iliff/Logan
Ball Ranch	1914	Briggsdale/Weld
Brown Family Ranch	1914	Mosca/Alamosa
Carter Ranch	1909	Boone/Pueblo
Center Greenhouse	1889	Denver/Adams
Chavez Ranch	1906	Weston/Las Animas
Deterding Farm	1900	Vernon/Yuma
Gramm Homestead Ranch, LLC	1899	Stratton/Kit Carson
Hittle Cattle Company	1914	Collbran/Mesa
Kindvall Ranch	1912	New Raymer/Weld
Leafgren Farm	1914	Lucerne/Weld
Mekelburg Farms, LLC	1894	Yuma/Yuma
NB5, LLC	1912	Yuma/Yuma
Paulsen Farm	1901	Lamar/Prowers
RMR Ranch, Inc.	1902	Yuma/Yuma
Scott Family Farm	1914	Lindon/Washington
Smith Ranch	1914	Hasty/Bent
Walter Farm	1908	Sedgwick/Sedgwick
Wickstrom, Inc.	1914	Orchard/Morgan

Since 1986 History Colorado, the Colorado Department of Agriculture, the Colorado State Fair, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation have partnered to administer the Centennial Farms program. On August 22, Ed Nichols, President and CEO of History Colorado, and John Salazar, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture, will present the awards. Properties with 50-year-old historic structures will receive a Historic Structures Award.

For more information, visit ColoradoCentennialFarms.org. Follow History Colorado on Facebook, Pinterest and Tumblr to see photos of the 2014 Centennial Farms.

About History Colorado
History Colorado, a Smithsonian Affiliate, inspires generations to find wonder and meaning in our past and to engage in building a better Colorado. Find us on Facebook.com/HistoryColorado and on Twitter@HistoryColorado. For more information visit www.HistoryColorado.org, call 303-HISTORY (447-8679) or visit us at the History Colorado Center at 1200 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203.

Media Contact:
Shannon Haltiwanger, Preservation Communications Manager
(303) 866-2049, [email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140821/138496

SOURCE History Colorado