Four historic Ottawa County farms honored

PORT CLINTON — Some Ottawa County farms are so historic they date back to the early days of statehood.Others are less old, but have still been around for many decades.Both kinds were honored when the Ohio Department of Agriculture announced that four county farms have been recognized under the Ohio Historic Family Farms program.The four are Boyer Family Partnership, operated since 1835; MAJAC LTD, operated since 1859; David and Janice Netcher Farm, operated since 1891; and GS Arnold LLC, operated since 1909."It is always great to see these locally-owned farms still in operation to this day," said state Rep. Steve Arndt, R-Port Clinton, who announced the recognition. "Agriculture is a strong pillar of Ohio's economy, and these farms contribute to it on a daily basis."The Ohio Department of Agriculture says Ottawa County has more than 600 farms averaging 182 acres each. Ottawa County ranks seventh among Ohio counties in alfalfa hay production.Farms seeking such recognition can go to http://www.agri.ohio.gov/divs/cent_farms/ to learn more about the process.Registration is not a difficult task, said Suzanne Arnold of the GS Arnold LLC farm."I didn't know anything about it," Arnold said. "I had a cousin who suggested I do it."Officials at the Ottawa County Courthouse were very helpful in providing the needed documentation, she said.Historic farms in Erie County also have been recognized, and Erie County recorder Barb Sessler even had a mural to honor the historic farms put on the wall of her office in the downtown county office building.Here's a closer look at the four farms:MAJAC Ltd.The 179-acre Oak Harbor property at 6501 W. O'Neal Road dates back to 1859. It dates back to an Irishman named O'Neal who left Ireland in the wake of the great potato famine. The second owner, Michael O'Neal, served as an Ottawa County commissioner in the late 19th century and was instrumental in getting the current Ottawa County Courthouse built. Much of it preserves wetlands and woods, although a farmer leases part of it to grow soybeans, Mariann Davids said. David and Janice Netcher FarmThe historic Netcher farm is on West Netcher Road near Elmore in Harris Township, although the main farm is now at at 2640 S. Linker Portage Road in Elmore. The Netchers farm about 550 acres. "We have one farm we purchased in 1855 and has been recognized as a Sesquicentennial Farm while the other piece of acreage we had recognized was purchased in 1891," David Netcher explained in an email.Soybeans, wheat and corn are among the crops at the farm, which also has grown tomatoes.GS. Arnold LLCThe 40-acre GS Arnold farm at 3541 N. Ohio 19 in Oak Harbor includes a home built in 1913 that remains on the property."It should actually be called the Rauch farm," Suzanne Arnold explains. Rauch was Arnold's mother's maiden name. The farm traces back to a purchase in 1909, although it may actually have been in family hands for about 150 years, Arnold said. The person who obtained it in 1909 got it from a woman who was the daughter of another Rauch.Boyer Family PartnershipThe Boyer farm is at 1770 County Road 161, also known as Schneider Road, in Oak Harbor.John Boyer bought the land back in 1835."John Boyer needed to clear the woods in order to raise corn, wheat, oats, hay, livestock," says the form submitted to the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The farm has a two story brick home that was built in the 1890s and remains beautiful, the family says. An aerial view of the GS Arnold LLC farm near Oak Harbor.