A Berks County farm with more than a century of continuous family ownership has been recognized by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture as a Century Farm.
El-Jon Farms in Oley Township was among seven farms statewide honored during a ceremony at Penn State’s Ag Progress Days. Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding presented the awards, which recognize properties owned by the same family for at least 100 years, with at least 10 acres of the original farm still in use or generating more than $1,000 annually from farm product sales.
Howard Snyder purchased El-Jon Farms on March 30, 1912. Over the decades, the family has grown corn, beans, wheat, and hay. The original bank barn remains in use, and the property once hosted a sawmill. The trolley line from Boyertown to Oley once passed through the farm’s pasture en route to Reading. In 1996, the farm was preserved, and today 137 acres from the original property remain active.
This year’s recognition brings the county’s total to 29 Century Farms and 20 Bicentennial Farms. Since the Century Farm Program began in 1977, more than 2,300 farms across Pennsylvania have received the designation, which aims to highlight the importance of the state’s agricultural heritage and family farm traditions.
Redding said the honorees “have made tremendous contributions to feeding Pennsylvanians and preserving our agricultural heritage,” noting their “sustainability, durability, and perseverance as caretakers for the land.”