[81] Robertson County Farm Joins Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

For Release: Sept. 19, 2011
Contact: Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947


ROBERTSON COUNTY FARM JOINS RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM

Calvert Farms Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO— The Calvert Farms, located in Robertson County, has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms Program at the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU.
The Century Farms Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have owned and kept family land in continuous agricultural production for at least 100 years.
In 1856, Daniel Clayton purchased 213 acres in the 3rd District of Robertson County. He and his wife, Nancy Piety Clayton, were the parents of 10 children. The family raised a variety of crops, including corn and Irish and sweet potatoes. Nancy became the sole owner in 1884, and by that time, the farm had been expanded to 256 acres and tobacco had been added to row crops and livestock of general farming.
J. M. Clayton, the son of the founding couple, became the owner of the farm in March of 1895. He and his wife, Artimissa, and their family of three children farmed 127 acres. Their daughter, Ida Mae Clayton Calvert, acquired the property in 1914. Married to Douglas McCLain Calvert, they were the parents of three sons. One son, James Ross “Jimmy” Calvert, became the fifth generation owner in 1987. He and his wife, Katherine, had three children: James Mark, Lee Ann Morton and Susan Rosenberger. In the late 1970s, the Calverts were featured in the Farm Journal magazine. Katherine and Lee Ann were active in the Home Demonstration Club, and all the children were involved in 4-H.
Along with his grandparents, Jimmy and Katherine Calvert, Daniel Miller Calvert and his wife, Leslie, own a portion of Calvert Farms. Daniel and Leslie and their children, Jacob Bernard, and Josie Mae live in the pristine 1904 farmhouse. Leslie served four years as president of the Robertson County Young Farmers and Ranchers. Jimmy and Daniel, as well as Mark Calvert, work together on the family’s acreage, where they raise tobacco, wheat and soybeans. Daniel and Jimmy are board members of the Robertson County Farm Bureau, and Jimmy received an award honoring his years of service with the Robertson County Soil Conservation Board.
The Calvert family was recognized at the Robertson County Fair on Aug. 29 as the county’s most recent certified Century Farm during the dedication of the permanent multipurpose facility at the fairgrounds. Named the “Century Stage,” it honors all of the county’s Century Farm families, now numbering 39, and acknowledges the continuing importance of agriculture to Robertson County. On hand to present the Calverts with their certificate and sign were Jai Templeton, deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, and the CFP’s Hankins.
Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farms Program.
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit www.tncenturyfarms.org. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132 or 615-898-2947.

• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owner or request jpegs of the farm for editorial use, please contact the CHP at 615-898-2947.



Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU is celebrating its 100th anniversary with special events and activities throughout the 2011-2012 academic year.