Gov. Carney honors Johnson family’s Century Farm in Millsboro
Gov. John Carney, Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Nikko Brady and state legislators recently honored four Delaware farm families for their commitment to keeping farmland within the family for 100 years.
“There is no better way to kick off Delaware Grown Week than to highlight the history of Delaware agriculture with the presentation of this year’s Century Farm Awards,” said Carney. “We are fortunate to have generations of farm families still engaged in agriculture here in Delaware.”
The Delaware Century Farm Program was established in 1987 to honor farm families who have owned and farmed their land for at least 100 years. The farms must include at least 10 acres of the original parcel or gross more than $10,000 annually in agricultural sales.
With the announcement of these four new families, Delaware will have recognized 152 Century Farms over the past 35 years. Delaware Century Farm families receive a sign for their farms, an engraved plate, a certificate and legislative tributes.
“While the Century Farm Program has been in existence for 35 years, we know there are many Century Farms we have recognized that have been in the family for 150 years ... 200 years or even longer,” said Brady. “Secretary Scuse and I have charged the Aglands team to research these farms so we can recognize those families that continue to pass their farms down to the next generation. Keeping land in agriculture is essential to the success of our industry.”
Millsboro farmers Stanley Johnson and and his family are recognized for their 25-acre farm in Indian River Hundred. George T. Johnson purchased the 25-acre farm from Annie J. Hudson, and John B. and Martha J. Mitchell Nov. 21, 1918, for $2,000. In 1976, George passed away, leaving the farm to his wife, Ella Moore Johnson, with their four children, Elizabeth Smith, Ruth Hudson, Granville L. Johnson and Richard C. Johnson. Ella died in February 1989, leaving Granville as the executor of her estate. In July 1989, Richard and his wife Patricia purchased the farm from Granville. In 2011, the farm was put into the Richard C. Johnson 2011 Asset Preservation Trust by co-trustees Stanley and Thomas C., children of Richard and Patricia. In 2018, Stanley and his wife Linda purchased the farm from the trust.
Looking back, Stanley’s grandfather, George T. Johnson, raised chickens on the farm for Townsends. The main crops grown on this Delaware farm include corn and soybeans, but the Johnsons are looking to transition into more specialty crops as the younger generation gets more involved.
