Farm Families
We recognize the families who have kept Nebraska’s Agricultural heritage alive.
Nebraska is full of families who have been farming and keeping traditions alive for decades.
Applications for an Aksarben Farm Family Award may be submitted at anytime throughout the year, but the cutoff date for application processing is April 15th.
Once we receive your application, we will process with the county the farmland is located within. We work with the County Fair Board Representative to ensure that all historic information and family lineage is verified. Once we receive approval from the county, the award and gatepost marker are created and presented to the family at their respective county fair throughout the summer months.
This award is presented by the Aksarben Foundation in partnership with the Nebraska Farm Bureau and the Nebraska Association of Fair Managers. These awards honor the families who have held same family ownership of land for 100 (Pioneer Award) and 150 (Heritage Award) years. Congratulations to this year’s awardees!
Featured Farm Family Award Winners
Since the Aksarben Foundation began honoring families in the 1960s, nearly 10,000 families have been recognized, something the Aksarben Foundation takes great pride in.
A Lasting Farm Legacy
One of the families honored this year with the Pioneer Award is the Suehl/Damme family who lives near Winside in Wayne County and owns 135 acres. The farm was originally acquired by John Suehl in 1929. His grandson, LeRoy Damme, and his wife, Eileen, live there now.
Celebrating Agriculture
The Murdoch family, one of this year’s Aksarben Heritage Farm Family Award recipients, has been working its family farm since 1859, nearly a decade before Nebraska became a state. In that year Ohio native John Murdoch made his way to a spot three miles north of Nehawka.
Farm Families
Apply for a Farm Family Award
Farm Family Awards
This program recognizes farm families in Nebraska whose land has been owned by members of the same family for 100 years (Pioneer Award) and 150 years (Heritage Award).
- A family may receive one award at a time so apply for either the 100 year or the 150 year award.
- The farm’s current minimum size required to submit an application is 40 acres, unless the original deed or homestead documents state the original homestead was less than 40 acres.
Any applications submitted after the deadline date of May 1st will be awarded the following year.