HARRISBURG, Pa. — For Sandra Millin, owner of Big Run Farm, in Bedford County, her favorite memories growing up were the simple farm chores done with family.
“My mom, who was a teacher, would drive the tractor during the summer when we would bale. My dad would be helping, and he’d throw the bales up on the wagon and then I would stack them,” Millin laughs, “But those were my fondest memories.”
Sandra and her husband Dennis Millin were one of nine farm families who received century or bicentennial farm designations from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture on Jan. 10 at the 2025 Pennsylvania Farm Show. Three of those families are in western Pennsylvania.
The eight families given century farm status were the Millins in Everett; John and Martha Fetter in Greensburg; John and Stacy True in Sewickley Township; Daniel and Margiann Burkholder in Denver; Lonnie and Stanley Kauffman in Bird-in-Hand; Paul and Nancy Semmel in Schnecksville; Adam and Shannan Kinley in Colgan Station and Carol Winell Zaitz in Duncannon.
Mark and Kim Weber, of Mohnton, received bicentennial farm status.
Millin Family Century Farm
Sandra Millin’s great-grandfather Ephraim Wilkins purchased the 140-acre farm in 1874. The Wilkins raised dairy cattle and chickens and grew vegetables. Oftentimes, Sandra’s great-grandmother would sell eggs and butter in town.
Alongside farming the land, her great-grandfather ran a sawmill on the property. Wilkins had eight children; his son David Harvey Wilkins, Sandra’s grandfather, inherited the farm in 1958.
Sandra and her husband Dennis Millin took over the farm in 2001. Today, they grow corn and soybeans on a one-year rotation on 201 acres. Dennis Millin also grows vegetables like turnips in the field for the deer. Dennis, Sandra and her children all like to hunt on the property.
According to Sandra, the original farmhouse has seen quite a transformation since the family first bought the property. The farmhouse is over 200 years old, pre-dating the family’s legacy on the land. The couple have been renovating the farmhouse for the past 12 years.
During the renovation, Sandra Millin found an old Bedford County newspaper in between the logs that dated back to 1876. From the newspaper clipping, she was able to piece together that her great-grandfather added on the living room and upstairs bedroom. Her grandfather added on a kitchen and another bedroom several years later.
The farmhouse holds a special place in Sandra’s heart. “I was born in that house, my mom, my grandfather, I’m not sure about my great grandfather, but it just stayed in the family and I have always loved the place,” Sandra said.
The sawmill on the property is also home to a love story. “My dad came to the farm to work on the sawmill and ended up marrying my mother,” Sandra Millin said.
Sandra Millin hopes one day her grandson will take over the family farm, but for now, she’s happy appreciating the land her family has called home for a century.
Fetter Family Farm
John Fetter’s grandmother, Mary S. Fetter, bought the 75-acre farm in Westmoreland County in 1918 when John’s dad was 4-years-old. Mary Fetter had five children and raised dairy cattle. Her son Harry and his wife Mary C. took over the farm in 1937.
John Fetter and his wife Martha took over the farm in 1974 and converted it into a beef cattle operation. Since then, he updated some of the buildings and built a new house on the property.
All 75 acres are still in use today. His favorite part of farming is being in the fields, and he hopes to pass the farm along to his kids in the next few years. As for his century farm designation sign, John Fetter already has the perfect spot picked out.
“We have a big sign out in front of the farm for Fetter Farm that has a big black Angus cow on it. We gonna put that either on top or underneath,” he said.
His daughter Stacy gathered the paperwork and submitted the application for the century farm designation. Her husband, John True, was also awarded a century farm designation at the farm show.
True Family Farm
Jacob and Katherine Wolf purchased the 50-acre farm in Westmoreland County in 1924. They had six children; their daughter Catherine and her husband Melvin, John’s grandfather, took ownership of the farm in 1955.
Today, John and Stacy True raise beef, pork and chickens, using the original chicken coop and barn. All 50 acres are still in use today.
Carol Winell Zaitz Farm
The Winell Zaitz family purchased the 129-acre farm in 1875 in Perry County. The original farmhouse was built prior to the Civil War and the barn was built in 1880, both of which remain today.
Over the years, the family has found Native American artifacts scattered throughout the property, leading them to believe at one time Native Americans farmed that same land. Today, the family grows grain and is in the process of transitioning it to the fifth generation.
Kinley Family Farm
Adam Kinley’s great-great-grandfather purchased the 106-acre farm in 1904 in Lycoming County. Adam and his wife Shannon took over the farm in 2022. They raise beef cattle and grow row crops. All 106 original acres are still in use.
The family also maintains the Grove Cemetery, which is located on their property and has several Revolutionary soldiers buried in it.
Semmel Family Farm
Paul Semmel’s grandparents William J.D. and Annie Henselman purchased the 102-acre farm in Lehigh County in 1917 to raise dairy cattle. They had four children and their daughter Florence, Paul’s mother, took over the farm in 1947. Paul and his wife Nancy took over ownership of the farm in 1971. The farmhouse dates back to the 1850s, and many of the original buildings are still in use today.
The farm, known as Excelsior Farm, was the first Pennsylvania Power and Light all-electric dairy farm in the state. They regularly host international dignitaries for research demonstrations.
Burkholder Family Farm
The Burkholder’s Ever-Green Farm in Lancaster County was purchased in 1923. Originally 57 acres, 19 acres are still in use today where Daniel and Margiann Burkholder grow fresh produce. The original barns and farmhouse were built in 1796.
Kauffman Family Farm
Lonnie and Stanely’s great-great-grandfather purchased the 90-acre farm in 1910 in Lancaster County. Today, the farm has grown to 103 acres and is an orchard run by Lonnie and Stanley Kauffman. A book published in 2015 and titled “Faith, Family and Fruit” honors the farm’s long legacy.
Weber Family Farm
The Weber farm, in Berks County, dates back to 1784, making it one of the oldest farms in Berks County. Mark and Kim Weber grow crops on the farm today and are the seventh-generation owners. The original barn and two houses still stand and the farm was preserved in 2012.
The ceremony
The nine families were honored with signs distributed by Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. During the ceremony, Redding praised century and bicentennial farm families for their commitment to Pennsylvania agriculture.
“Our theme this year is powering Pennsylvania I couldn’t think of a better way to do that than the families that are in agriculture that we’re recognizing with century, bicentennial farm recognitions,” Redding said. “I witness every day the commitment that families have made to the land. I get a chance to work with many of them, and every time I come away inspired for what you do, the journeys you’re on, the things that you’ve done to stay in this business.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture created the Century Farm Program in 1977 and the Bicentennial Farm Program in 2004. More than 2,340 century and bicentennial farms and two tricentennial farms have been recognized.
To receive century or bicentennial farm status, the same family must own the same farm for at least 100 or 200 years and must live on the farm. The farm also needs to have at least 10 acres of the original holding or gross more than $1,000 annually from selling farm products.
(Liz Partsch can be reached at epartsch@farmanddairy.com or 330-337-3419.)
