[182]STATE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES GRUNDY COUNTY FARM

OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 3, 2008
CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947

STATE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES GRUNDY COUNTY FARM FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
121-Year-Old Hamby Farm is County’s 6th Century Farm, Hankins Reports

(MURFREESBORO)—The Hamby Farm in Grundy County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reported Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms Program at the Center for Historic Preservation, which is located on the MTSU campus.
In 1887, John Hawk founded a 50-acre farm about three miles northeast of Pelham. John married Sarah Lusk Hawk and they had three children: James, Mary and Houston. The second owner of the property was Eli Hamby, son-in-law of the founder, who married Mary Hawk Hamby. They were the parents of Harvey, E. L. and Lena.
Then, in 1930, Harvey and E. L. acquired the property. During their ownership, the farm mainly produced corn.
Harvey Hamby was an active member of the Grundy and Coffee County Farm Bureaus. He received permission from the state farm bureau to be a member and serve on the board of directors for both county organizations. In addition, he was on the agricultural committee that hired the first Grundy County Agricultural Extension Agent. He and his wife, Anna Campbell, had six children.
In 1978, Arley Hamby, the great-grandson of the founders, obtained the land. He and wife Lucy Howard were the parents of three children. Hay and raised beef cattle were primary commodities on the farm. Over the years, Arley was very active in agricultural-related organizations and served as the agricultural extension agent in Rhea and Van Buren Counties. Prior to becoming a county agent, Arley taught agriculture at Grundy County High School. After his extension service, he managed his farms in Grundy and Coffee counties and operated a farm equipment business for more than 25 years.
Today, James A. Hamby, the great-great-grandson of the founder, owns the farm. Currently, the farm produces hay and beef cattle.
Hankins said, “The Hamby Farm is the sixth Century Farm to be certified in Grundy County.”
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the CHP at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of
documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a metal outdoor sign denoting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
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“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins said, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.



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ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owners, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.