'CENTURY FARM' PROGRAM STILL POPULAR

JACKSON -- Interest in the Missouri Century Farm program is still strong.

"We have three applications this year," said Ruth Timberlake of the University of Missouri's Cape Girardeau County Extension Center at Jackson. "And two farms were added to the list last year."

A total of 4,800 farms in the state have been recognized as Century Farms since a Centennial Farm program was inaugurated during the bicentennial year of 1976 at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

The Century Farm program was initiated in 1986 as a continuation of the Centennial Farm program, a one-year program for the bicentennial year. At that time more than 2,000 Missouri farms were recognized as Centennial Farms. Since 1986, another 2,600 Missouri farms and families have been recognized through the Century program.

The Century Farm program is jointly administered by the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Agriculture and University Extension.

Three guidelines are used to determine eligibility for the program.

-- The farm must have been owned by the same family for 100 years or longer.

-- The family must consist of direct descendants only.

-- The farm must be of no less than 40 acres and make a financial contribution to overall farm income.

Any farm owner whose farm meets the guidelines is eligible to be named a Century Farm owner. Applications for the designation are available at the Extension center in Jackson.

Forty-one farms have been selected for Century Farm honors in Cape Girardeau County, including last year's two entries: the Paul Ray Dow Farm and the Jerry Lorberg Farm.

New farms selected will be honored at local university and Extension offices in the county where the farms area located.

Families who have qualifying farms may make application for 1999 before July 4. A $25 entry fee covers the cost of certificates and farm signs for approved applications. If more than one sign is needed, they are available for $10 each.

Additional information is available by calling the local Extension office, 243-3581.