Family Members Keep Farm Going For 100-Plus Years

Several families were honored Saturday evening at the Antelope County Fair for their 102 years of farming ownership.

Sharon A. Klein, Linda L. Varn, Larry A. Braband and Kathy Fullerton earned the Nebraska Pioneer Award for their continuous farming.

Started in 1916 by Augustus and Tobias Lange; Klein, Varn, Braband and Fulleton kept the family farm going for over 100 years.

The families were awarded with an engraved plaque and gatepost marker as permanent recognition of the milestone by Antelope County Farm Bureau President Steve Pellatz at Saturday's fair.

The award recognize Nebraska farm families who have consecutively held ownership of land in the same family for at least 100 years (Pioneer) or 150 years (Heritage), respectively.

Since its inception in 1956, nearly 10,000 farm families statewide have received the Nebraska Pioneer Farm Award. The Nebraska Heritage Farm Award, established in 2014, has been awarded to nearly 75 families.