Celebrating Family Farms
To honor the perseverance and dedication of Nebraska family farms, Aksarben partners with Nebraska Farm Bureau and the Nebraska Association of Farm Managers to present the Aksarben Heritage Farm and Pioneer Farm Awards.
We wouldn’t be the heartland without a little dirt on our boots. Nebraska’s agriculture is some of the best in the country and the Aksarben Foundation works to promote and develop this agriculture through a variety of programs.
Baumann Farm – Heritage Farm Family
One-hundred and sixty acres of farmland near Hastings have been in the Baumann family for five generations. Gwen Baumann Weber, family and Native American historian, has researched her family’s farm as well as the Pawnee Indians who preceded the Nebraska farm families in that area.
“It’s a fascinating area,” she says. “You can still find arrowheads down there.”
The family’s backstory research began with Lillian Baumann, Weber’s mother. “My mom gets a lot of credit as she kept incredible records on our genealogy,” Weber says. “I’m the fifth generation of this family farm. The fact that every generation has stories of how they improved the farm, how they added to it. Every generation did something to keep it going and this Aksarben Award honors that.”
From the original two-story farmhouse to what is now a large residence with each generation’s addition. At the peak of her youth, the farm had over 500 livestock, including sheep, hogs and Hereford cattle. The original 160 acres was purchased by Nathan Durkee as a land grant from the Union Pacific Railroad on May 31, 1884. Durkee migrated west from Illinois with one of his adult sons to Nebraska. Homestead legislation provided immigrants with an unsettle parcel of land – 160 acres – for an $18 filing fee.
Aksarben takes great pride in recognizing families like the Baumann’s and the many others whose perseverance and dedication to the land is a testament to Nebraska’s strong family values and work ethic.