Twenty-nine family farms were honored this week during the 27th annual Georgia Centennial Farm Awards Ceremony in Perry.  The 27th annual awards ceremony recognized qualified farms from both the 2020 and 2021 application years.  An awards ceremony was not held during 2020.

Farm owners and their historic properties were recognized in an event hosted by the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Georgia Farm Bureau, Georgia Department of Agriculture, Georgia EMC, Georgia Forestry Commission, and Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter, at the 2021 Georgia National Fair.

Farms hold a central role in the heritage of our state, having formed the economic, cultural, and family foundation for generations of Georgians. All farms earning recognition have continuously operated for 100 years or more.

More than 582 farms have been recognized through the Georgia Centennial Farm Program since its inception in 1993.

Recognition is given to farm owners through one of three distinguished awards: the Centennial Heritage Farm Award honors farms owned by members of the same family for 100 years or more and listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The Centennial Farm Award does not require continual family ownership, but farms must be at least 100 years old and listed in the NRHP. The Centennial Family Farm Award recognizes farms owned by members of the same family for 100 years or more that are not listed in the NRHP.

Below are the 2020 and 2021 Centennial Farm award recipients.

2020 Centennial Heritage Farm Awards

• A.J. Casey Farm, Floyd County
• John Moore Lazenby Homeplace aka Cedar Rock Farm, McDuffie County

2020 Centennial Family Farm Awards

• Two Branch Farm, Bulloch County
• A.H. Rocker, Sr. Family Farm, Candler County
• Samuel Watson Farm, Candler County
• Pineywoods Farms, Colquitt County
• J.M. Cook Homeplace, Dodge County
• Mud Creek Farm, Dougherty County
• Griffin Farms, Hall County
• Arthur Lane Perrin Farm, Irwin County
• Dan T. Paulk – Missouri Merritt Paulk Family Farm, Irwin County
• Walker Farm, Irwin County
• Terry D. Harrell Farm, Mitchell County
• Smith Family Farm, Pierce County
• Massey Family Farm, Taylor County
• Lee Family Farm and Orchards, Ware County
• Greenview Farms, Inc., Wayne County
• Gordon-Phinney Farms, Wilcox County

2021 Centennial Family Farm Awards

• Ford Farms, Calhoun County
• Fairview Market at Holloman Farms, Carroll County
• Charlie and Betty Harris Farm, Crawford County
• Burns Homeplace, Effingham County
• Hillsboro Farms, McDuffie County
• JCT Farms, Randolph County
• Lance Family – Grassy Knoll Farm, Union County
• Everett-Chandler Farm, Walker County
• M.A. Hicks Farms, Walker County
• Robert Calhoun Farm, Whitfield County
• N.H. Bacon Farms, LLC, Wilkinson County

Anyone interested in nominating a farm for recognition should visit https://www.dca.ga.gov/georgia-historic-preservation-division/historic-resources/centennial-farms to download an application or contact Allison Asbrock at allison.asbrock@dca.ga.gov. The postmark deadline for applications is May 1 of each year.