The Arkansas Agriculture Department is accepting applications for the 2013 Arkansas Century Farm program.

The program recognizes Arkansas’s rich agricultural heritage and honors families who have owned and farmed the same land for at least 100 years. The program is voluntary and places no restrictions on the land. In 2012, the first year of the program, 83 farms were certified as Arkansas Century Farms.

To qualify, farms must meet the following criteria:

Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe said, “The Arkansas Century Farm program is designed to acknowledge the families who have contributed to our state’s traditions, but also to remind all of us that work is needed to ensure that those traditions continue for future generations.”

Nationally, over 96 percent of all agricultural operations are family farms.  Arkansas currently has over 49,000 farms on 13.5 million acres with the average farm size of 280 acres.

“It’s a privilege to recognize the generations of Arkansas farmers and ranchers who have persevered for a century or more to provide food, fiber, and energy” said Butch Calhoun, Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture.

Qualified applicants will be presented with a personalized metal sign and a certificate.  Only the legal owners of the land may apply.

There is no cost to apply for the Arkansas Century Farm program. Applications can be obtained from the Arkansas Agriculture Department by calling (501) 225-1598 or from the department’s website.

Applications must be postmarked by May 31, 2013 to be eligible for designation in 2013.