Farming has been the backbone of the Commonwealth for more than 400 years. Virginia’s Century Farm program honors the commitment and contributions of farm families who have owned and worked their farms for 100 years or more. Since the program was established in 1997, nearly 1,400 Virginia farms have been designated as Century Farms.
“For many families, farming is both a tradition and a business that has been passed down from one generation to the next,” said Commissioner Sandy Adams. “Agriculture remains Virginia’s largest private industry, contributing $52 billion annually to the Commonwealth. It speaks volumes about our state’s long commitment to agriculture when there are nearly 1,400 farms designated to have been in operation for more than a century.”
Fast Facts About Virginia’s Century Farms
- 92 of the state’s 95 counties have designated Century Farms; Southampton County has the highest number of Century Farms at 90.
- Six independent cities have Century Farms; the city with the most Century Farms is Suffolk at 24.
- Virginia’s oldest designated Century Farm is Summer Hill Farm in Hanover County. The Newton and Page families have owned the farm since 1672.
- More than 20 family farms in Virginia are designated as over 250 years old.
The Century Farm program is administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services through the Office of Farmland Preservation. To be eligible for the Virginia Century Farm program, a farm must have been owned by the same family for at least 100 consecutive years, be lived on or farmed by a descendant of the original owner and gross over $2,500 annually from the sale of farm products.
In recognition of their designation as a Virginia Century Farm, families receive a certificate signed by the governor and VDACS’ commissioner, and a free 17-inch by 11-inch aluminum sign with the Virginia Century Farm logo for outdoor display. All designated Century Farms are listed by locality on VDACS’ website.
For more information about Virginia’s Century Farm program, contact Andy Sorrell at [email protected].
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