Historical society meets Oct. 4 at Rippey
~by Chuck Offenburger for the Greene County Historical Society
Nancy Hanaman of rural Rippey will lead a program on “Farming in Greene County: From horse & plow to GPS in the fields” on Friday, Oct. 4, when the Historical Society meets at the United Methodist Church in Rippey.
The program will focus on this historic farms of three families — the Jones family from the Dana area, and the Youngs and Bardoles from the Rippey area. The Jones and Young families have officially-recognized “Heritage Farms,” meaning they have been in the family’s ownership for 150 years. Roy and Phyllis Bardole have “Century Farms,” with 100 years of ownership, on both sides of their family.
“The owning and operating of farm land by Heritage and Century families is a significant accomplishment in Iowa and Greene County,” said Hanaman, who is a cousin to the Bardoles.
She plans to summarize the Heritage and Century Farm programs the state has, and will give statistics on the number of such farms in both the state and in Greene County. She’ll then call forward representatives of each of the three families to talk about their farms’ histories. And any other owners of Heritage or Century Farms who are at the program will also be recognized.
There will be lunch served at 12 noon, $8 for Historical Society members and $10 for others who want to enjoy the meal. Members should RSVP to their community contacts by Tuesday evening, Oct. 1, and non-members who want to come for the lunch should RSVP by calling program director Margaret Hamilton at 515-386-4408.
The program at 12:45 pm is free and the public is invited.
