GFB News Magazine
Georgia families honored for farming a century
by Jennifer Whittaker
GFB News Editor
Posted on November 24, 2025 10:49 PM
Another crop of Georgia families, whose farms have survived wars, the Great Depression, crop failure and bad weather, received the Georgia Centennial Farm designation this fall.
“Reaching a hundred years is not a small thing. It’s about generations of hard work, perseverance and faith,” said Georgia Farm Bureau Chief Administrative Officer Jeffrey Harvey. “Georgia Farm Bureau understands that kind of commitment. Our organization was founded in 1937 for farmers, by farmers, and we’re still here today. We’re proud to stand beside family farms and to advocate on their behalf at the state and federal level. Thank you for preserving not just your land but a way of life that defines all of us here in Georgia.”
Since 1993, the Georgia Centennial Farm Awards program has recognized about 650 farms for operating at least 100 years. The program began with Georgia Farm Bureau collaborating with other state agencies.
This year, another 14 were celebrated during a ceremony held Oct. 8 at the Georgia National Fair.
This scenic outbuilding is located at Home Place Farms in Hancock County. / Photo courtesy of GDCA
“This is absolutely my favorite event of the whole year,” said Georgia Department of Community Affairs (GDCA) Commissioner Christopher Nunn. “Nothing good happens without a lot of hard work and partnerships. I’m delighted to work on these awards with other organizations that support this program and farmers.”
The Historic Preservation Division of the GCDA administers the program with support from Georgia Farm Bureau, Georgia EMC, the Georgia Department of Agriculture, the Georgia National Fair and UGA Extension.
“You’re representing your family’s legacy of sustaining and maintaining the family farm for 100 years. That’s remarkable. UGA Cooperative Extension has been around for more than 100 years as well,” said UGA Extension Southwest Agricultural & Natural Resources Development Coordinator Stephanie Hollifield. “UGA Extension was there for all the yesterdays of your farm. We are here today, and we’re going to be present for all the tomorrows for you and your family and generations to come.”
Members of the 14 farm families that received a Georgia Centennial Farm designation. / Photo by Nick Vassy
2025 Centennial Heritage Farm Awards
This award honors farms owned by the same family for 100 years or more that are listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
• Ash Farms, Effingham County
2025 Centennial Family Farm Awards
This award recognizes farms owned by members of the same family for 100 years or more.
• Beck Farm, Madison County
• Carl J. Ray Farm, Tift County
• Fielding Tall Pines, Thomas County
• Hays Farm, Jackson County
• HD Bailey Family Partnership, Dawson County
• Home Place Farms, Hancock County
• Jenkins Family Historic Farm, Talbot County
• Jordan Farm, Washington County
• Lil’ Slice O’ Paradise, Dade & Walker Counties
• Pendergast Hay Farm, Grady County
• P.K. Moore Farm, Lowndes County
• Stanford Farm at the Martin Homeplace, Coweta County
• Striplin Lands LLC, Gordon County
This photo from 2003 shows David Stanford baling wheat straw with sons Thomas and Tyler on the family's Coweta County farm. / Photo courtesy of GDCA
Two families’ stories
In Grady County, the Pendergast family traces the history of its farm back to 1871 when Patrick Pendergast married Civil War widow Margaret Parker. They grew sugarcane, and as they cleared land, switched to growing watermelons, present owner Mike Pendergast said. Through the years, Mike’s ancestors have grown cotton, peanuts and soybeans.
“In recent times we swapped fully to raising about 300 acres of grass hay. My son, Cole, talked me into planting about 30 acres of perennial peanut hay last year,” said Mike. “We also run about 30 head of commercial cattle. There’s always been some cows on the property since the ancestors.”
Cole, the sixth generation of the family to farm, teamed up with his mom, Marlene, to research the family’s history and apply for the award to surprise Mike.
“It took a lot of time to research our deeds, and my mom did most of that. By applying for this award, I learned a lot of family history that I didn’t know growing up,” Cole said. “The knowledge we’ve gained through this process means the world to me and I can pass it on to my daughter.”
In Madison County, Jerry and his late wife, Henryetta Smith Beck, continued the farming legacy dating back in her family to the 1800s when her ancestors William M. and Martha Patsy Smith owned the farm.
The Smiths’ son, James Obadiah Mitchell Smith, founded Piedmont Pedigreed Seed Farm and developed the award-winning Cleveland Bill Gold cotton variety.
After James died, his widow, Bessie, owned and ran the seed farm for 25 years with their son, Henry (Henryetta’s father). Jerry and Henryetta bought the farm and once grew a variety of row crops including soybeans, corn, wheat and hay.
Today, Jerry is semi-retired producing pasture-raised pigs and selling the meat straight to consumers. His daughters, Debra and Cyndi, are farming the land.
Debra runs about 36 head of Brangus cattle. Cyndi manages the greenhouses where the family grows the vegetable plants for a wide variety of produce they raise and sell at multiple farmers markets in Ila, Commerce and Jefferson. The family also raises and sells perennials.
“If it hadn’t been for Daddy our farm wouldn’t have continued,” Cyndi said. “We’re honored to receive this award.”
How to nominate a farm
For more information, to nominate a farm, or to download an application, visit https://gfb.ag/centuryfarmsapply or email outreach@dca.ga.gov. The postmark deadline for applications is May 1 of each year. Qualifying farms are recognized each October during a ceremony at the Georgia National Fair.
In addition to the Centennial Family Farm and Centennial Heritage Family Farm award categories, the program offers a third award, the Centennial Farm Award, for farms without continual family ownership but that are at least 100 years old and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.