Close to 300 Prince Edward Island farms which have been in the same family since 1873, the year the province joined Confederation, will be recognized this coming Monday evening at a ceremony in Charlottetown. The farm owners will received a gatepost sign and a certificate designating them as Confederation Farms. The presentations will be made by Premier Pat Binns and Agriculture and Forestry Minister Eric Hammill.
Speaking in the Legislature on Friday, Mr. Hammill said that family farms are an integral part of the life of Prince Edward Island. "Family farms make an enormous contribution to the health of our economy and the well-being of our rural communities," he said. "By recognizing those which have been farmed by the same family for the past 125 years, we are celebrating as well their contributions to the way of life of all Islanders."
Special awards will be presented to those farms which have been in the same family since before 1800. The oldest continuing family farm on the Island, established in 1773, is owned by George and Noreen Shaw of Stanhope.
Although many changes have taken place in Island agriculture over the past 125 years, Mr. Hammill said the continuation of the province's family farm tradition is a reflection of the pride of ownership by farmers and their commitment to sustainable agricultural production. "The land has sustained previous generations of Islanders, and with good management, will continue to sustain future generations," he said.
A similar project was undertaken in 1964 by the Federation of Agriculture to commemorate the centennial of the Charlottetown Conference. That year, more than 500 farms were recognized as Century Farms.
The number of farms in the province peaked at more than 13,000 earlier in this century, with an average size of 80 acres. The number today is about 2200, with an average size of just under 300 acres.
The Confederation Farm initiative was organized by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry in cooperation with 125 Celebrations. Representatives from the major agriculture and industry groups provided input on the selection criteria.