Family legacies
Sequatchie County Heritage Farms honors 100 years of heritage
When Benjamin “Ben” Condra looks out over his land, he doesn’t see just a farm, he sees a legacy. Part of Hamilton Farm has been in his family since his great-grandfather bought it in 1907. His grandfather added more land in 1923. Altogether, the property makes up Condra Hilltop Farms.
The fifth generation now lives on the land. There is a small portion of the farm dedicated to row crops and the family also raises corn, soybeans, hay and beef cattle. “It keeps us pretty busy,” Ben says.
He would like to see the farm stay in the family for another century or more. He thinks future generations have the power, but he knows it’s out of his hands. “Things change,” he says. “That’s not in our control.”
But, as part of the new Sequatchie Valley Heritage Farms program, his and other area legacy farms are being recognized for their years of working the land. Chairman John Harmon says the program is similar to the statewide Tennessee Century Farms but provides local recognition.
“We started this program to recognize our families that crossed the mountains into Tennessee’s Great Valley and settled here, and we think it’s very important that we recognize these families because they worked the land and built the very foundation of our communities that we have today,” he says. “Some of these families have been here for over two centuries.”
At first, the program committee thought perhaps about 12 or 15 farms had been in the same family for 100 years or more, John says. “Then we started thinking about and working on it, we started counting them, and we believe that we will have over 50 farms that are eligible.”
Growing program
John says people are getting excited about the Heritage Farms program. “We’ve talked to some family farmers that don’t think they’re eligible. They’ll say it’s all divided up among the cousins,” he says. “What they don’t know is it doesn’t matter whether it’s a cousin that owns it or an aunt or an uncle or if the name has changed, as long as the bloodline is the same.”
Some farmers just forget how old their farms are, he says. “Then, when you’re talking to them, they get excited. ‘Oh, I forgot! We actually started in 1843!’”
John and other board members also are finding that some farms lack just a few years of reaching the century mark. “That’s encouraging those families to keep it,” he says.
Worth the work
Keeping a farm in one family for more than 100 years is far from easy. “It takes work. It takes dedication from all the family members to want to continue to keep that farm in the family versus selling it to somebody to put up subdivisions. It takes the family wanting to continue,” John says. “The younger generation has to buy into the belief in the family farm.
“It’s hard work.”
Ben says for his family, it’s not just a job, it’s a calling. “It’s a lifestyle you have to enjoy or love. It’s not because of the huge amounts of money you make in agriculture,” he jokes.
Condra Hilltop Farms has had a lot of dedicated family members who have stuck with it through some challenging times and good times, Ben says. He remembers hearing stories about his grandfather farming through the Great Depression, when he couldn’t afford everything he needed. He remembers stories about farming during the World Wars, when rationing was in effect.
When he thinks about all the changes that have taken place over the last 100 years, all the ups and downs, he’s grateful for his family’s legacy. “It makes me proud that our family stuck together,” he says.
As for him, “I’ve been working on the farm since I was old enough to do anything,” he says. “I started driving a tractor when I was 9 years old, and I’m 60 now. It’s a love you’ve grown used to. I love seeing the changes that come each season and seeing the livestock out in the field. It’s in the eye of the beholder, as they say.”
Published with permission by BTC Fiber.