LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward inducted 41 farms into the Arkansas Century Farm program on Thursday.
The Arkansas Century Farm program recognizes farms of 10 acres or more owned by the same family for at least 100 years. It was established in 2012 by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture to highlight the families’ contributions to the agriculture industry and state.
“Our family farmers are the backbone of our state and that’s especially true for our Century Farm families,” the governor said. “We often talk about farming in terms of economics, which is absolutely critical and very important considering it’s one of Arkansas’ largest industries. But the importance of farming goes much deeper than that. It’s part of our heritage. It’s part of our history and it’s part of our basic survival. Thank you for keeping our country fed, our state growing and our communities strong.”
Officials said agriculture is the largest industry in the Natural State and contributes over $24.3 billion to the state’s economy annually. Arkansas has 38,000 farms, and 95 percent of those are family-owned.