This year’s Texas County Century Farm Family recipients are Edith Bailey of Summersville and her late husband, Elmer.
Their 40-acre farm was acquired in 1883 by Elmer’s great-grandfather, William Bailey, and has remained in the family since.
The Bailey family was honored during the Texas County Extension’s recent annual banquet.
The history of the Missouri Century Farm program dates to 1976 as a result of the Missouri Committee for Agriculture that was co-chaired by Missouri Department of Agriculture director James B. Boillot and University of Missouri College of Agriculture dean Elmer R. Kiehl.
The committee’s purpose was to organize the American Revolution Bicentennial celebration in Missouri. One activity that was initiated by the committee was the “Centennial Farm” project, which awarded certificates to people owning farms that had been in the same family for 100 years or more. Interest in the program continued, and the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and University of Missouri Extension planned a 10-year update in 1986 called the “Century Farm” program. The program became a yearly event, with more than 100 farms recognized each year.