Missouri Century Farm Recognition and Sign Installation



From left: Patty and Danny Hininger, Virginia Hininger, Mike and Lisa Friedemann

Our family was honored to receive a Missouri Century Farm recognition in August 2012.  This program, sponsored by University of Missouri Extension and Missouri Farm Bureau, recognizes Missouri farms with at least 40 acres that have been owned by the same family for at least 100 years.  We received a sign we plan to place in the front yard of our farm house this fall.

The original 40 acres that initially qualified for the Century Farm program, were purchased by my paternal great-grandfather, Lewis Lisher, in 1901.  There was already a farmhouse on this parcel, part of which was built before the Civil War. He purchased the adjoining 88 acres a few years later.  This 128 acres passed down to his daughter (my paternal grandmother), Ruby Lisher Hininger, then equally to my father and his younger sister upon her premature death when my father was 10 years old. My paternal grandfather, Arthur Hininger, along with my father, Earl Hininger, farmed the land together until the 1950's.  My father purchased his sister's 50% interest in the late 1940's and then moved to the farm house when he married my mother in April 1951.  Upon my fathers' premature death in 1969, the acreage passed to my mother, brother and myself and ag land is still owned jointly by us.  My brother and sister-in-law now own 3.5 acres where they built a house and my husband and I purchased the 6.5 acres where the original farm house, barns and outbuildings sit.  My mother continues to live in the house since 1951.

Update:
At Thanksgiving 2012, Mike installed our Century Farm sign at the farm.  He constructed the frame around the sign from 4x4 treated lumber posts and set them in Quickcrete:

Bringin' down the barn




Barn before demolition-west end

When we acquired the property, the old 1920's haybarn was in such bad shape it could not be restored. We hired some Amish contractors to take it down in March 2012. They took it down in one day and the only tools they used were ropes and crowbars.  




Old manger area -south side




 

Demolition in March 2012:



Half down



Just the north wall left. Former hog farrowing shed remains.



Barn rubble and old straw ready for the bonfire

 

 

 

After the demolition, Mike pushed all the rubble into a pile with a skidloader and we had a large bonfire.

Welcome to our Missouri Century Farm blog!

Soybeans ready for harvest Fall 2011

Welcome to our Missouri Century Farm located in Barton County, Missouri.  The original 40 acre farm was purchased by my great-grandfather, Lewis Lisher, in 1901, qualifying it for the Century Farm designation sponsored by the University of Missouri Extension program.  Another 80 acres was purchased a few years later and these 120 acres were passed down to my grandmother and then to my father, Earl Hininger.  The original farmland and homestead have remained in our family since then.

 Corn field BEFORE the 2012 drought. Stalks were at least 8 ft tall.

Our family farmed this land, as well as several other acres in Barton County, growing row crops such as corn, beans and wheat and raising Hereford beef cattle and Duroc and Chester White hogs until 1984.  Since that time, the farmland has been rented for row crops.

My husband and I purchased the remaining family interest in the house and outbuildings that sit on 6.5 acres of mostly pasture in November 2011. The house and outbuildings had not had much maintenance  over the last 30 years, so most of them were in some state of disrepair when we purchased them.  Our current goal is to preserve all the buildings we can by repairing/painting metal roofs and repainting metal and wooden buildings so they can be used for equipment storage, etc.  The house also needs exterior painting and repair of windows, soffits, facia, etc.

This blog will serve as an online journal of farm memories and our progress as my 'city slicker' husband discovers and I rediscover the joys and challenges of rural life, on a part-time basis for now.



Hog barn in need of roof repair - November 2011