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Picture Kalyn: Kalyn Eckhoff, 4-H West Central Region Representative gave a short program at the evening
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Picture Schapeler: The Motheral/Black/Schapeler Family was recognized as a Century Farm
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Picture Swickhamer: Sara Bridgewater (far left), Bates County Engagement Specialist pictured with the Swickhamer Family being recognized as a Century Farm
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(BUTLER, MO—February 27, 2020)— Monday, February 24, 2020, the annual Bates County Extension dinner was held at Frontier Village in Adrian, Missouri, with Linda Howard catering the meal.
Guests for the evening included Kalyn Eckhoff, 4-H West Central Regional Representative; Missouri Century Farm honorees— Motheral/Black/Shapeler family and Swickhamer family.
Special recognition was given to outgoing Extension Council members Jerry Ferguson and Marilyn Duckworth (not present).
New Council member, Gwen Ford and Abby Salazar was sworn in by Marlene Wainscott. The other Council members include: Brian Gillis, Hope Campbell, Sharon Arnold, Shannon Crawford, Myra Colin, Libby Foster, Larry Hacker, and Missy LanCaster.
Special presentations were made to the Missouri Century Farm honorees. Bates County honored four Missouri Century Farms: Motheral/Black/Schapeler Farm, a 160-acre farm acquisitioned in 1861—owned by Wayne and Josephine Schapeler; Swickhamer Farm, a 80-acre farm acquisitioned in 1919—owned by L. Merle and Carol Swickhamer Trust; Martin Rapp Farm, a 100-acre farm acquisitioned in 1875—owned by Margaret Sunderland (not present); and Link Farm, a 240-acre farm acquisitioned in 1903—owned by Kathryn Ann Peterson (not present).
The Missouri Century Farm program's history dates back to 1976 as a result of the Missouri Committee for Agriculture. One activity that was initiated by the committee was the "Centennial Farm" project, which awarded certificates to persons owning farms that had been in the same family for 100 years or more. Interest in the program continued after 1976. The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and University of Missouri Extension planned a 10-year update in 1986 called the "Century Farm" program. This program has been sustained as a yearly event with over 100 farms recognized each year. In 2008, the Missouri Farm Bureau became a program co-sponsor.
