An Idaho farm bought in 1916 for about $87.50 an acre has stayed in one family for more than a century; 110 years later, the 361-acre homestead has been named an official Century Farm

Some farms are measured in acres, harvests and head of cattle. Others are measured in generations. According to a news report by Big Country News Connection, the Ambrose and Marge Schumacher Farm in Greencreek, Idaho, carries more than a century of family history, tracing its roots to a 1916 purchase that cost roughly $87.50 an acre. And today, the 361-acre homestead has been officially recognized as an Idaho Century Farm, states the news report. Take a look at its history.A farm built by familyAccording to the report, the property was established in 1916 by Joseph and Philomena Schmidt, ancestors of Ambrose Schumacher. The original 361-acre farm became home to a large family, with Joseph and Philomena raising six boys and four girls while building an agricultural operation that would eventually span generations. In 1942, 120 acres of the original property passed to their daughter Mary and her husband, Leo. The couple continued the family’s agricultural tradition while raising eight children of their own. Six years later, they expanded the operation into dairy farming. Their dairy became one of the first Grade A dairies on the Camas Prairie, adding another chapter to the farm’s agricultural history.From dairy to diverse agricultureAs per the report, ownership changed hands again in 1965, when Ambrose and Marge Schumacher took over the farm. With nine children, the Schumachers continued operating the dairy before selling it in 1982 and shifting their focus toward cattle.The family also experimented with less conventional agricultural pursuits. The property became home to fallow deer as well as specialty pheasants and peacocks, adding variety to an operation that had already adapted considerably over the decades. Through each transition, the central role of the land remained unchanged. Farming was not simply an occupation but a family tradition passed from one generation to the next.A century of adaptationTh report adds that the crops grown on the farm have evolved alongside the family. When the property was first established, alfalfa, wheat and cattle formed important parts of the operation. Today, the farm produces alfalfa, wheat, barley, grass and canola. That evolution reflects the practical side of keeping a family farm alive for more than a century. Markets change, agricultural practices develop and individual generations bring new ideas, but the land remains the constant.As per the report published on September 21, the Schumacher Farm is now part of Idaho's Century Farm and Ranch Program, a joint effort involving the Idaho State Department of Agriculture and the Idaho State Historical Society. The program recognizes farms and ranches that have remained under continuous family ownership for at least 100 years.For the Schumacher family, the designation marks more than a milestone. It recognizes the work of multiple generations who maintained the 361-acre homestead through changing times while keeping agriculture at its center. More than a century after Joseph and Philomena Schmidt first established the farm, its fields remain in production and its story continues into a second century.Image Courtesy: Big Country News ConnectionCatch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.