As Oregon begins to plan for its 150th birthday in 2009, another sesquicentennial program is? under way.

The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program will observe its 50th year of activity by recognizing active farms and ranches that have sustained family ownership of the same land for 150 years or more.

Program sponsors encourage eligible farmers and ranchers to apply for the inaugural year of the Sesqui- centennial Award by submitting an application by Nov. 1 .

This program will present its first round of awards at a special recognition event on Feb. 14, 2008, in the Capitol.

Of the 1,076 recognized Century Farms and Ranches in Oregon, more than 400 were established before Oregon became a state in Dec. 31, 1859. It’s estimated a percentage of those early farms and ranches no longer are in the same family ownership, but were sold since 1958 when the Century Program was established.

Many of the families that remain have deep roots in Oregon thanks to the Oregon Donation Land Law of 1850. That federal legislation validated titles to land claimed by settlers in Oregon Territory and encouraged additional immigration to Oregon by offering free acreage.

William Robbins, in his book, “Landscapes of Promise: The Oregon Story 1800-1940,” states before the act expired in 1855, an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 immigrants entered the territory. Most of the early Donation Land Claims (or DLCs) were staked out in the Willamette, Umpqua and Rogue valleys. Not until later in the 1850s did settlers begin to seek out land in the coastal valleys and finally to Eastern Oregon.

Eligibility criteria for the Sesquicentennial Award, the application guidelines and official form are available from Glenn Mason, Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program coordinator, (503) 297-5892 or orcentury@juno.com. The forms also may be downloaded from the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Web site: http://oregon.gov/ODA.