FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 13, 1997

Contact: Mark Anthony at (614) 752-4505, Andy Ware at (614) 752-9811, ODA Communications

REYNOLDSBURG -- From ox powered tillage to satellite monitored fertilizer applications, Ohio agriculture has seen dramatic changes in the past 100 years. Witnessing first hand this dynamic transformation close-up, every day, have been the eight families chosen as finalists for the 1997 Ohio's Outstanding Century Farm Awards Program.

Governor George V. Voinovich recognized these families' tenacity and achievements today in the fifth such annual ceremony at the Ohio State Fair. One of the eight regional winners will be chosen as the overall state winner to be announced at the Farm Science Review in September.

"Qualities such as dedication, perseverance, and innovation have carried these farming families through the past century," Governor Voinovich said. "I am proud to be involved in a program that recognizes a multi-generational commitment to Ohio agriculture."

The Outstanding Century Farm Awards Program is a joint project of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the Ohio Historical Society, and Ohio's Country Journal. Any farm that has been in continual ownership by the same family for 100 years is eligible to apply for the recognition. Winners are chosen based on their commitment to preserving their heritage, their contribution to the agriculture community and for environmental stewardship.

"With this year's class, 40 century farm families have been honored since the program's inception in 1993," Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Fred L. Dailey said. "These farms have evolved from being self-sufficient homesteads to producing world class agriculture products that are sold in Ohio, around the country and overseas."

The 1997 Outstanding Century Farm Regional winners include: Carl and Caroline Lilly, Bryan, Oh; Lawrence and Jeanne Colflesh, Delaware, Oh; David and Patricia Hackney, Wilmington, Oh; Juanita Wright, Camden, Oh; James and Dorothy Tunis, Zanesville, Oh; Pat Tripp, Bowerston, Oh; Warren and Dorotha Bowman, Magnolia, Oh; and William and Katharine Brown, Fredericktown, Oh.

Editors: For more information on the Ohio's Outstanding Century Farm Awards Program, contact Andy Ware, Ohio Department of Agriculture, at (614)752-9811 or Tim Reeves, Ohio's Country Journal, at (614) 481-6000.