Our Generation Florida

Five Florida Families Are Century Pioneers

Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson today announced that five Florida properties have qualified for recognition as Century Pioneer Family Farms. Recognition in this program means the families have maintained continuous ownership of the property for at least 100 years. The families that qualified are:

– Terrie B. Ellis and Maribeth B. Wood, in Gadsden County
– Ben Fant and Margaret Fant Blagg, in Levy County
– James W. Stokley Jr., in Wakulla County
– Lise Renee Andrews, in Marion County
– Jim Tiller, in Washington County.

“These families have been able to retain ownership of their land through the Great Depression, diseases, droughts, freezes and the urbanization of Florida,” Bronson said. “That is a great tribute to the many generations of these families.”

The 160-acre Tilller property is mostly now in timber production, but previously was the site of the Tiller Saw Mill. The Fant-Blagg property has 600 acres and has been used for cattle grazing and pine tree production. The Stokley property has 17 acres of pine trees and is part of the old Grimes Bay property. The Andrews property is 46 acres and is used to raise black angus cattle. The 215-acre Sullivan Family Farm, owned by Terrie Ellis and Maribeth Wood, features hay and pine tree production, which replaced shade tobacco.

Since the program began 25 years ago, 144 family farms have received the Century Pioneer Family Farm designation. The program is administered by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services with assistance of the Florida Agricultural Museum.