Four family farms were recognized Tuesday as the state’s Century Farms program.
Three of the family owned farms honored are in Sussex County, and one in New Castle County.
The Sussex farms are the 56.5-acre Malfitano family farm near Greenwood, owned by that family since 1913, the 31.5-acre Peterson family near Bridgeville, which has been in that family since 1909, and the 300 acre Hudson family farm near Millsboro, who's original 132-acre parcel dates to 1908.
The oldest farm, 109 acres owned by the Cook Family near Newark, has been in operation since 1855.
This year’s Century Farms were announced at ceremony to celebrate Delaware’s agricultural heritage at the Delaware Agricultural Museum & Village. A total of 129 Century Farms have been recognized since the awards were first presented in 1987.
To earn Century Farm status, the farm must be owned by the same family for at least a hundred years. Additionally, the farm must include at least 10 acres of the original parcel of land, or gross more than $10,000 annually in agricultural sales.
The farms are part of Delaware’s $1.3 billion agricultural economy.
