Six farms in Hancock County were added to the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s (ODA) Historic Family Farms Program in 2019.

That brings the total number of historic farms in Hancock County to 46.

The six Hancock County farms that earned the designation in 2019 are listed below by family name and year founded.

Krabill-Metzger-Kirian – 1860
Bateson – 1901
Redick-Miller – 1902
Wagner – 1911
Reese – 1918
Ritter – 1919

The Ohio Department of Agriculture’s (ODA) Historic Family Farms Program registered 975 historic farms between 2010-2019.

That’s a 26 percent increase in historic farms during the decade.

In comparison, during the program’s first 16 years (1993-2009), 749 farms were registered.

The top registering counties in the last decade were: Putnam County, 122 farms, Mercer County, 65 farms and Hancock County, 33 farms.

Ohioans who can verify that a currently owned farm has remained in their family for at least 100 years may register for a historic family farm designation.

Click here for a story about a Hancock County farm that participated in the Hancock Historical Museum’s Historic Barn Tour last September.