A tribute to Loudoun County’s Century Farms

By Caleb A. Kershner, Catoctin District Supervisor

Did you know there are farms in Loudoun County that have been owned and operated by the same family for over a hundred years? They are officially known as Century Farms. And they have their own section in the Code of Virginia, which created a statewide program to verify these farms’ histories and then publicly certify them as genuine Century Farms.

As of now, there are thirteen official Century Farms in Loudoun County, plus several more that are still waiting to be certified. Here is the list of the officially certified farms and where they are located in the county:

• Crooked Run Orchard – Purcellville
• George Farm – Lovettsville
• Georges Mill Farm – Lovettsville
• Glenmeade Farm – Bluemont
• Glenowen Farm – Round Hill
• Grubstake Farm – Purcellville
• Hillbrook – Leesburg
• Locust Grove – Hamilton
• Millers Farm – Lovettsville
• Montcalm Farm – Purcellville
• Oakland Green Farm – Leesburg
• Orchard Crest Inc. – Hillsboro
• Welbourne Farm – Middleburg

It was astonishing to learn just how old some of these farms truly are. At least one of them existed before Loudoun County was even formed, more than two hundred and sixty years ago!

It’s humbling to realize that the same family still owns and runs them, and that food from their farms still feeds households here in Loudoun.

Our Century Farms are a vital part of Loudoun’s rural economy. These families have carefully stewarded their land and their resources, which has allowed them to keep farming the same land year after year. Over time, they have accumulated a wealth of irreplaceable farming experience, which they’ve passed down in an unbroken chain to the next generation of farmers. That combination of character and knowledge is a valuable boon to our whole agricultural community.

That’s good news for all of us, because our agribusinesses play a vital role in Loudoun’s economy. In 2018, Visit Loudoun conducted an economic study to assess our rural economy.

They found that Loudoun’s agritourism businesses hosted 1.2 million people, who generated a total economic impact of $413.6 million. That trend continued into 2021, when Loudoun’s tourism revenue topped $3 billion, making our county the top generator of visitor revenue in the whole entire Commonwealth of Virginia.

On top of that, each Century Farm is a living, continuous piece of our county’s past. It’s not uncommon for them to actively use a building that was erected in the 1700s or 1800s, or to have a farmhouse that gets expanded by each new generation, leaving the marks of their new era.

Major events from our history rolled through these farms and left their artifacts on their lands – and those details are often caught and passed down through the years in records and family stories.

To celebrate this remarkable heritage, my office wrote a resolution to specially recognize Loudoun’s Century Farms, and the Board approved it on July 18. Here’s what it says:

WHEREAS The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors recognizes and honors the important role that Century Farms play in the community; and

WHEREAS Century Farms symbolize perseverance, hard work, and the dedication of multiple generations, serving as steadfast pillars in our community and exemplifying the unwavering commitment of Loudoun County’s farmers to the region; and

WHEREAS Virginia actively promotes public support for Century Farms by encouraging visitation to their estates and the purchase of their agricultural products; and

WHEREAS Loudoun County’s Century Farms serve as a reminder of the County’s rich history and its deep-rooted connections to the agricultural industry.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors recognizes the historical importance of our Century Farms.

We formally presented the resolution at this year’s Loudoun County Fair. It was a pleasure and an honor to meet members from some of these Century Farms, who we’d invited to the Fair’s opening ceremonies, and to present them with framed duplicates of the resolution and commemorative plaques for their farms.

Loudoun has been blessed with a rich history and a flourishing agricultural community. The Century Farms are an important part of that, and we are fortunate to have them in our community. It was a pleasure to get to know them better as we created this resolution. I look forward to celebrating them, and the many other farmers who make Loudoun’s agriculture a reality, in the months and years to come.