Fourteen family farms in Georgia were recognized as the state’s newest Centennial Farms at an awards ceremony held at the Georgia National Fair on October 8, 2025. The event was organized by the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), in partnership with the Georgia Farm Bureau, Georgia Department of Agriculture, Georgia EMC, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, and Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter.
The Centennial Farm Program honors farms that have operated continuously for at least 100 years. Since its creation in 1993, more than 630 farms have received recognition through the program. Farms are eligible for one of three awards: the Centennial Heritage Farm Award, the Centennial Farm Award, and the Centennial Family Farm Award. The Centennial Heritage Farm Award is given to farms owned by the same family for at least a century and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Centennial Farm Award requires the farm to be at least 100 years old and listed in the National Register of Historic Places, while the Centennial Family Farm Award recognizes farms owned by the same family for a century or more that are not listed in the National Register.
The 2025 Centennial Heritage Farm Award was presented to Ash Farms in Effingham County. The Centennial Family Farm Awards went to Stanford Farm at the Martin Homeplace (Coweta County), Lil’ Slice o’ Paradise (Dade and Walker Counties), HD Bailey Family Partnership (Dawson County), Striplin Lands LLC (Gordon County), Pendergast Hay Farm (Grady County), Home Place Farms (Hancock County), Hays Farm (Jackson County), P.K. Moore Farm (Lowndes County), Beck Farm (Madison County), Jenkins Family Historic Farm (Talbot County), Fielding Tall Pines (Thomas County), Carl J. Ray Farm (Tift County), and Jordan Farm (Washington County).
“Centennial 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 this recognition have continuously operated for 100 years or more.”
Anyone interested in nominating a farm for future recognition can find more information and download an application on the Georgia Department of Community Affairs website at https://dca.georgia.gov/community-assistance/historic-preservation/cent…. The deadline for applications is May 1 each year.
The Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs serves as Georgia’s state historic preservation office, with programs that include archaeology protection, environmental review, grants, historic resource surveys, tax incentives, and technical assistance. The DCA works with communities to support economic development, affordable housing, and local government assistance across Georgia.
