10/31/2026
🌾🚜 OVER 2,300 TENNESSEE FARMS HAVE SOMETHING INCREDIBLE IN COMMON… They've been in the same family for at least 100 YEARS! 🇺🇸❤️
And in a time when we're watching farmland disappear beneath subdivisions, warehouses, and shopping centers, that's something worth celebrating AND protecting!
According to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, more than 2,300 farms across the Volunteer State have been officially recognized through the Tennessee Century Farms Program.
These aren't just ordinary pieces of property.
We're talking about land that has been passed down from parents to children, grandparents to grandchildren, and sometimes through five or six generations of the same family. 🌾
Just imagine that for a moment…
The same fields where your great-grandfather worked behind a mule might still be growing crops today.
The same old farmhouse where generations gathered around the supper table might still be standing.
The same barns, fence rows, creeks, and rolling hills that your ancestors knew could still be part of your family's everyday life.
That's not just farmland. That's living Tennessee history. ❤️
The Tennessee Century Farms Program, administered by Middle Tennessee State University's Center for Historic Preservation, recognizes farms that have remained in the same family for at least a century.
And here's something especially interesting…
Back in 1986, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and MTSU published a book documenting these historic farms.
Now, 40 years later, an updated illustrated edition has been released in 2026!
It's called "Tennessee's Frontier Century Farms: An Enduring Legacy of Family, Farming, and Community."
And the best part? The digital edition is available FREE to the public! đź“–
It's a chance to learn about some of Tennessee's oldest family farms and the hardworking people who helped build the agricultural heritage of our state.
But there's another side to this story that deserves attention.
Every year, Tennessee communities face difficult decisions about growth and development.
Fields that once grew corn, hay, and to***co become neighborhoods. Old pastures turn into commercial developments. Quiet country roads become busy highways.
And once that farmland is covered in concrete, getting it back isn't nearly as simple as planting another crop. 🌾💔
Nobody is saying Tennessee can't grow. But we ought to remember that the farms, rural communities, and families who worked this land long before the subdivisions arrived are a big part of what made Tennessee special in the first place.
A hundred-year-old family farm represents more than acreage on a deed.
It represents early mornings, hard seasons, sacrifices, family memories, and generations of people who refused to give up on the land they loved.
And those stories deserve to be remembered.
🇺🇸 Tennessee's farming heritage isn't something we should only read about in history books. It's something we should work to preserve for the generations still to come.
If your family owns an old farm, you might even qualify for recognition through the Century Farms Program.
You can learn more, explore the county-by-county list of recognized farms, and find the free digital book at www.tncenturyfarms.org.
👇 NOW WE WANT TO HEAR FROM TENNESSEE!
Does your family still own the farm your grandparents or great-grandparents worked?
Or do you remember a family farm in your hometown that's now been replaced by houses, businesses, or subdivisions?
🌾 Drop your county below and tell us about it. We'd love to hear the stories behind the land, because once those stories are forgotten, a piece of Tennessee goes with them. ❤️🚜
Source: Tennessee Department of Agriculture — Tennessee Century Farms Program, 2026.
