RIPPEY, Iowa — Nancy Hanaman of rural Rippey will lead a program on “Farming in Greene County: From Horse and Plow to GPS in the Fields” at the Greene County Historical Society meeting Friday, Oct. 4 at 12:45 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in Rippey.
A noon meal will precede the program at a cost of $8 for historical society members and $10 for non-members.
The program will focus on the historic farms of three families — the Jones family from the Dana area and the Youngs and Bardoles from the Rippey area. The Jones and Young families have officially recognized Heritage Farms, meaning they have been in the family’s ownership for at least 150 years. Roy and Phyllis Bardole have a Century Farm, with at least 100 years of ownership, on both sides of their family.
“The owning and operating of farm land by Heritage and Century families is a significant accomplishment in Iowa and Greene County,” said Hanaman, a cousin to the Bardoles, who plans to summarize the Heritage and Century Farm programs across Iowa.
She will give statistics on the number of such farms in both the state and in Greene County, and then representatives of each of the three families will talk about their farms’ histories. Other owners of Heritage or Century Farms who are in attendance will also be recognized.
Greene County Historical Society members should RSVP to their community contacts by Tuesday evening, Oct. 1, and non-members who want to come for the lunch should RSVP by calling program director Margaret Hamilton at 515-386-4408.
The program at 12:45 pm is free and open to the public.
Chuck Offenburger is a member of the Greene County Historical Society.
