Century farm

old wheels · Jan 1, 2011

My wife & I purchased the family farm - my great-grandfather homesteaded it and we are applying to make it a century farm. We are trying to decide what to name it --- it was under one family name for 2 generations, then my grandmother and grandfather took it over so has been in my family name now for 3 generations. Been debating about using our name, or hyphenate both names -- also a river runs through the property so we could use the name of the river?? Just seeking other opinions to help us make a decision. Thanks in advance for any thoughts. Happy New Year to all! I really enjoy this site and gathering knowledge from others regarding tractors, etc. Lots of years of knowledge & experience on this site!
p.s. also wondering how many people own Century farms??

Bob · Jan 1, 2011

Can't help you with a name, with the wet cycle we're in I should call mine "Soggy Acres".

Grandpa homesteaded in 1888, it passed to my Grandma when he passed away, then to my uncles and to me.

Five names on the abstract in 123 years!

rrlund · Jan 1, 2011

I've got 16 years to go before this one can be. My uncles place is. It was my great granfathers place on grandmas side. The sign out front of mine just says Lund Farm. Has a bull in the center with 19 at one end of him and 27 at the other for 1927.

showcrop · Jan 1, 2011

Names of Geographical nature appeal to me. But a good one was "The Fisherman's Farm". He was a fisherman for about 15 years and then he farmed for 20. Now he works part time on my cousin's farm feeding.

patsublett · Jan 1, 2011

You are blessed . We had to sell our farm in 1954 to pay hospital bills.

GordoSD · Jan 1, 2011

GGF homesteaded ours in 1884. Middle of the SD "land rush". Statehood in '89.

Gordo

greenbeanman in Kansas · Jan 1, 2011

I own a century farm though I've not applied for the designation. It is via my mother's family.

After my brother died my sister in law became owner of the century from from my dads family.

Another brother sold one which had been in a great uncles family or ours for over 110 years. Don't know that it would have been eligible since indirect ownership, i.e. uncle to nephew, etc.

gregk · Jan 1, 2011

How about "Oleo Acres" It could be referred to as the cheaper spread!lol Saw that one on a place by Valentine NE

Paul from MI · Jan 1, 2011

Don't know what the rules are in Ohio, but my brother and I still own the small farm my grandfather bought in 1912. Guess I'll find out in two more years.

rrlund · Jan 1, 2011

There's one south of Fayette Ohio called Belly Acres.

brian(MN) · Jan 1, 2011

What do the neighbors call it? Our farm has been in the family since 1875.
Brian(MN)

Jim in Ma. · Jan 1, 2011

My farm has been in my family since the town was settled in 1635. It's a little smaller then it started out but we have always owned it.
Come to think - We never did give it a name - It's just home. I don't see any need to changes thing now.

John51 · Jan 1, 2011

Getting close to 200 years, our oldest son,wife and 2 little boys plan to move back soon. Hope it makes at least 300!

Dean · Jan 1, 2011

The Iowa farm where my Mother grew up has been a century farm since the 1960s. It is named Woodbine Farm.

Sadly, I failed to ask my Mother how the name was choosen while she was living.

Dean

Dean · Jan 1, 2011

Keep it, Paul

The small farm IN where I live was bought by my parents in 1951. Though a long way from a century farm, 60 years is still a long time. Sadly, it will likely pass to others after I am gone as my only child has lived in Montana since 1982 and has no desire to own it.

Dean

rrlund · Jan 1, 2011

See if this works.

billonthefarm · Jan 1, 2011

This farm was bought on March 5 1894 by my great great grandfather W.G. Huey, my mothers great grandfather. He came to Trivoli township from Ireland. Moved on to this farm as a hired man. Took it over as the tennant farmer and then bought it. It was a dairy with registered Brown Swiss cows. My family has raised every crop here since 1882. To me this will always be The Huey Farm. I could have put my name on the sign but I am not the one who worked so hard to pay for this piece of dirt. In fifty years someone will want to know why it is called the Huey Farm and hopefully someone will tell them the story of Mr. W.G. Huey and this farm.
bill

Ron in Nebr · Jan 1, 2011

We got our "Century Farm" plaque back in '83 or so, even though my great-great grandad had been keeping cattle here before 1883...I think that's when he officially filed on the land.....for a complete story for anyone interested there's a post I just put on "farm history and prices" or something like that up on the first page.

Brian Jasper co. Ia · Jan 1, 2011

There's a small acreage near the Iowa State Fair campgrounds in Des Moines with that name. "Oleo Acres, One Of The Cheaper Spreads".

M Nut · Jan 1, 2011

December 14th, 1899. Farm's name is Meadowbrook farm, as a brook runs lengthwise through the meadow in the center of what was the original 80 acre parcel. Five generations with my brother and I, my daughters are generation 6.

JD Seller · Jan 1, 2011

My family has been on this farm since 1835. I have not registered it as a century farm. The farm is now in a trust that will go to my heirs as a life estate for each generation.

With what land is selling for right now the off farm kids are forcing family farms to sell. They think that these family farms are their lotto tickets. The money will be spent and they all will be broke.

That is not going to happen to this farm. If any of my heirs try and force a change in the land"s title. They lose any and all rights to any of the land. If all of a generation try to change the title then the farm WILL BE SOLD and the proceeds given to a list of charities. I will not help those that are out for a quick buck. If they want to use the farm, or the cash it will generate, that will give them a lot more help than I ever had in starting my life. I had to buy every bit of land I have at market value. I have dealt with greedy relatives too many times.

agpilot · Jan 1, 2011

Hi JD Seller: Your comments sound a little like my fathers comments... but it did not work out quite that way for him even tho he used a very good lawyer who was known to be good at setting up an "Iron clad" way of doing what you seem to want. My brother, who took control of the farm, went through a bitter 5 year divorce., plus several years of near death medical problems.. etc. Then the tough farming of the 1980's caused him to run up a huge amount of unpayed bills etc etc. Then whiskey took over most of his actions.. untill he died early of heart failure etc. Last I heard only about half of the land is still in a trust fund and the grand kids are only interested in getting $$$ out of it. It had been considered one of the better family farms in the area before ww-2 but All of the original buildings have been burned and all fences removed so it is all one large field. Almost nothing left to even remind any family menber what it looked like when out father started farming it before WW-2. No young person has any interest in it or its history as a family farm... (just what he did NOT want.) I don't even care to drive past any part of it or hear comments from anyone about it since I was not part of its downfall from being a "Family Farm." It is now only viewed as "black dirt" waiting to be turned into green cash... which reduces the grand kids desire to work their own way through life. (also just what he did not want) Hard to control whiskey and greed of others in handing down a piece of high priced black dirt.( Hope you do better) .ag

JDseller · Jan 1, 2011

The key to doing it is to make sure that no mortgages or liens can be placed against the land. The life estate holders only get the use/rent of the ground for their life time. They can not use the farm as collateral. I had to also put some money in the trust too. That will grow so that if one of the life estate holders can"t pay the taxes or insurance the fund pays it. The fund will pay for two consecutive years. If the current life estate holder can"t make the third then they lose title. The farm then is rented etc. and the income goes back into the trust to rebuild the cash reserves. There has to be insurance carried on all building to replacement value.

I know that it is complicated but I have seen too many farms get wasted away by lazy kids.

8Nr--WI · Jan 2, 2011

JD----your comments sure hit close to home....I have owned "my farm" for only 12 years, but since I purchased the first piece of it, I have added acreage to it twice from 2 different 3rd and 4th generation farms.

The reason I bought the farm in the first place, was because I thought my "neighbors" would always keep the farms in the family...and not chunk them off into 40 acre "recreation parcels".

In both cases, as soon as "Mom and Dad" died, all the "non farm" siblings wanted to "cash in" their "lottery tickets" and more or less forced the sibling that was operating the farm to sell to raise the cash to pay them off.....

It was really sad to see this happen, because with proper planning on both of these family farms, these sales could have been avoided...

Tim

old wheels · Jan 2, 2011

JD- I like your thinking. I would like to handle My estate similar. thanks to all that sent pics. and thoughts. some interesting stories. Thanks for all of the input - Old Wheels

agpilot · Jan 2, 2011

JDseller: Hello again... I would like to comment on one of your last statements about lazy people in line to any estate.. I started my comments with this about my brother.. My brother, who took control of the farm, went through a bitter 5 year divorce., plus several years of Near Death medical problems.. etc. Then the tough farming of the 1980's caused him to run up a huge amount of unpayed bills etc etc. Then whiskey took over most of his actions.. untill he died early of heart failure etc... end of comments about my brother..
Please note that there was nothing about him being lazy. He was quite the oposite. Severe medical problems can drag anyone down.. Right?
I don't think you/me or anyone can take into account severe medical problems like my brother had.... is what I was saying.. That is always the un-known in every human life.
Ask any old Preacher who conducted countless funerals or maybe 40 years of hospital visits. So, again, good luck with your plan.. keep your fingers crossed too.. .ag

JDseller · Jan 2, 2011

AGpilot: Don"t take what I said to be a knock down of your brother. There are people having to sell land/homes all of the time for medical reasons. It could happen to any of us.

What I was thinking of are the farms around me. There are three farms in a row here, mine is the southern one. They all where bought by families that came from Germany together, in 1834. They all made it until this generation. Mine is the only one not sold and split up. One was on the market three days after the old man died. I called the Realtor and bought the back forty with-in two weeks of his passing.

Century farm

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Similar threads