Applications close May 1 for History Colorado’s Centennial Farms & Ranches Program
There’s less than one month to send in applications for the 2024 History Colorado’s Centennial Farms & Ranches Program. The deadline is May 1.
A joint initiative of the History Colorado and the Colorado Department of Agriculture, Centennial Farms & Ranches, honor those contributions of the state’s ranching and farming families. Many have endured the pressure of growth, changes in farming methods, along with evolving environmental and economic conditions to preserve important pieces of Colorado’s commercial and cultural history.
The program was expanded in 2022 to recognize three additional honorees associated with the ag history of the State of Colorado. Those categories included: Centennial AgriBusiness; Centennial Families; Centennial Farmers or Ranchers.
Expanding the Centennial Farms & Ranches Program allows for a more equitable celebration of the diversity of farming and ranching families by recognizing those who historically didn’t own property for a variety of reasons.
According to a news release from CDA, examples of honorees under this expanded criteria includes:
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, CO.
The deadline for applications is May 1. To apply or learn more, please visit h-co.org/CentennialFarms or call 303-866-3392.
