[326] CANNON COUNTY FARM JOINS RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 25, 2009
CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947

CANNON COUNTY FARM JOINS RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM
102-Year-Old DKM Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)—The DKM Farm in Cannon 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.
The DKM Farm was founded in 1907 by R. L. and Myrtle Parker. They were the parents of Kenneth, Houston, Opal, Homer, Mamie and Hilary. On 40 acres, the family raised corn, sweet potatoes, oats, wheat, hogs, cattle, mules and chickens.
A progressive farmer, R. L. participated in the early stages of the soil conservation program and also in the Grange. The family remembers they that took part in “old fashioned farm face lifts.” The family began a Registered Polled Hereford cattle business and held their first sale in 1966. This sale continues today after 43 years.
In 1958, Kenneth and Delois Parker, the son and daughter-in-law of the founders, became the second generation to own the property. Their children are Marcus, David and Kathy. Kenneth, active in agricultural organizations, has served as President for the National Polled Hereford Cattle Association; president of the Farm Bureau and president of Soil Conservation, as well as Mid-State Producers. He also served as board chairman for the building committee for Woodland School. Also, Kenneth and Delois have increased the size of their farm from about 440 to about 1,200 acres
In 2004, the grandson of the founder, David Parker, and his wife, Paula, became the owners and operators of the farm. Currently, the farm produces a wide variety of crops, including corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, crimson clover, peppers, alfalfa and sweet corn. In addition, they raise hogs, cattle, dairy cattle, chickens, horses and sheep.
The farm’s original barn stands and is used on a daily basis. The farm also has a corncrib, silos and dairy barns, the family reported.
Four generations of the Parker family live on the farm today. In addition to Kenneth, the farm is home to David and Paula and their daughter, Krista, along with her husband Lynn Trail, and their daughters Kaitlynn and Kathryn, as well as daughter Angela, who is married to Don Moore, and their children, D.J. and Abigail.
The DKM Farm is the 15th Century Farm to be certified in Cannon County, Hankins said.

About the Century Farms Program

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 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.
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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, noting 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. There are more than 1,000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“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 request an interview with the farm’s current owners, please contact Caneta Hankins at 615-898-2947.