The deadline to apply to the Harford Legacy Farm program launched by The Farmers & Community Partnership of Harford County is this Saturday.
Farms eligible to be considered a Harford Legacy Farm, according to a Harford Land Trust news release, have been owned continuously by the same family for over a century, maintain 10 or more acres of the original purchase and are being actively farmed.
“With a family heritage in Harford County that predates the American Revolution, I have great appreciation for the vital importance of local agriculture and the need to preserve our family farms”, Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly said in the news release. “The Harford Legacy Farms program is a great way to recognize those families who continue to preserve their farms for future generations.”
The program coincides with the 250th anniversary of the county. A celebratory dinner for the legacy farms will take place June 10 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Harford Equestrian Center. Legacy farms will receive two complimentary tickets and will be honored during the event. Tickets for $20 are available starting April 3, but kids 12 and under will get in for free.
Kristin Kirkwood, executive director of the Harford Land Trust, said applications were sent to about 100 county farms, but additional applications have come in for farms she was unaware were qualified as a Harford Legacy Farm.
“There are certainly a lot of surprises out there,” Kirkwood said. “And it’s not all just the larger, more prominent farms we were aware of.”
Applications for the program are available on the Harford Land Trust website at harfordlandtrust.org/get-involved/events and the Harford County Agricultural Center.