Since 1976, the Centennial Farm project in Missouri has recognized persons owning farms that have been in the same family for 100 years or more. The 2021 Century farms families from Saline County and one Founding Farm owned by the same family for 200 years were also recognized at the Saline County Extension Annual Recognition Night on Thursday November 18, 2021.

In acknowledgment of Missouri’s state bicentennial, MU Extension celebrated the generations of farm families who have helped build Missouri over the past two centuries. Even before the declaration of statehood, farmers were in Saline County tilling the soil, harvesting trees, and floating lumber down rivers to build the communities that were taking root on the far western edge of the new nation’s frontier.

In celebration of 200 years and as part of the Century Farm program, a special category of 30 Founding Farms including one Saline County family – Century Farms that have been in the same family continuously since 1821 or earlier.

· Guthrey: John Kile came to Saline County down the Ohio river from Virginia and founded 320 acres of row crops and cattle in Saline County with the Homestead Act in 1820. John left the farm to Isaac Kile, which was passed down through Clara Bell (Kile) Guthrey, Kile Guthrey Sr., Elizabeth Guthrey, and John G. Guthrey III. Current owners are Kile Guthrey Jr. and Charles Guthrey both of Marshall, and John Guthrey IV of Butler, Pennsylvania.
Century Farm Families have been recognized in Saline County for 45 years, and as of 2021, 199 families have been inducted. To become a Century Farm, the same family must have owned the farm for 100 consecutive years, consist of no less than 40 acres of the original land, and shall make a financial contribution to the overall farm income. The inductees for 2021 were:

· Clements: Ranson Jenkins traded a farm in Carroll County in 1921 for the now Clements farm in Miami, Saline County. While no one resides on the farm currently, it is still use for row crops and owned by Allen Clements.

· Heermann: Henry Heermann founded the 87-acre farm in 1854 to farm beans, corn, and cattle and has been passed down through Henry Heermann, Hugo Heermann, and finally to Paul Heermann.

· Hinnah-Lee: The Hinnah-Lee cropland farm was founded in 1908 by Frank J. Hinnah and passed down to Frank’s children in 1980, followed by the current owner, Maxine Lee, in 2006.

· Shrader: Fred and Phebe Shrader of Ohio founded the 300-acre corn and livestock farm in 1893, with Vince and Lynda Shrader now residing there.

PHOTOS (Featured at Top – then Top to Bottom below story):
Attendance at the 2021 Saline Extension Recognition Night held at the Martin Center.
The Guthrey Family recognized as Saline’s Founding Farm established in 1820.
The Clements Family recognized as a Saline Century Farm established in 1921.
The Heermann Family recognized as a Saline Century Farm established in 1854.
The Hinnah-Lee Family recognized as a Saline Century Farm established in 1908.
The Shrader Family recognized as a Saline Century Farm established in 1893.

Photos courtesy University of Missouri Extension