USDANEWS                                                           VOLUME 58 NO. 8 — October-November 1999

12 Down, Only 64,988 To Go
Is it too early to start thinking about gift ideas for the December holidays? Whaddya mean it’s probably too late already?! Get Outa Here!

Whew! Well, in any event, if you take agriculture, history, farms, photography, the millennium, and USDA, you’ll have the building blocks for what might make a nifty gift for the end of the year. It’s a USDA Millennium Calendar titled “Millennium Celebration of Century Farms,” and it features 12 of the estimated 65,000 farms in America that have been in continuous operation by the same family for at least 100 years.

The idea for such a calendar originated with Roger Lancaster, general manager of USDA’s Employee Services and Recreation Association, which offers USDA employees at headquarters and field locations recreational, educational, wellness, and other activities and services.

Alice Welch, a visual information specialist with the Photography Center in the Office of Communications, is a member of USDA’s Millennium Council. “We worked with USDA’s Millennium Office,” she said, “which helped give the calendar project some legs.” The mission of the Department’s Millennium Office includes coordinating USDA’s activities in support of the millennium.

According to Farm Service Agency public affairs specialist Matt Kilbourne, FSA was already working on a project to identify 'century farms’ in this country. “So we asked our state and county offices for some assistance,” he said. Under a short deadline, in less than a week they were able to provide names, addresses, and sample photos of approximately 200 farms that would qualify for the calendar and were judged to be particularly visually inspiring.

Lancaster, Kilbourne, and FSA Public Affairs Director Tade Sullivan then narrowed that list down to a more manageable number for a 12-month calendar. “We wanted to ensure that the 'century farms’ we featured represent the geographical, agricultural, commodity, racial, ethnic, and gender diversity that is so pronounced in American agriculture,” emphasized Sullivan.

Next, OC photojournalists Anson Eaglin, Ken Hammond, and Bob Nichols, plus four contract photographers, photographed 18 farms in 17 states in two weeks. “We pulled off a small miracle by getting it done within that time frame,” quipped Welch.

“For the final selection of 'century farms’,” Lancaster said, “we chose farms located in Alabama, California, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Virginia, and Wyoming, and they include a tree farm, a horse farm, a coffee farm, a flower and vegetable farm, and a dairy farm.” A 'farm biography’ accompanies five color photos of each featured farm, and the 14" x 12" calendar’s package is embossed with the USDA seal.

“We want this 'century farms’ calendar to be educational and help the reader understand the legacy of farms in this country,” Kilbourne underscored. “Maybe it will help inspire people to get into agriculture, and help remind us at USDA about one of our important missions--supporting farmers.”

Teresa Browning, director of ESRA’s Internet operations, said that similar 'century farms’ calendars are in the works through 2003. “With 65,000 century farms to pick from, we’ve got enough material to keep us busy for, oh, a few years yet,” she quipped.

“The Millennium Calendar costs $15, and is now available from ESRA’s 'Ag Connection’ store in USDA’s South Building in Washington, DC, or through the ESRA web site at www.usdaesra.org or by ordering by phone at 1-800-626-ESRA,” Lancaster slipped into the conversation.

Wait a minute. Did this just turn into a commercial?! 

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