Lehi Business
Hunting Family Farm awarded for a century of farming
Brynn Carnesecca | Lehi Free Press
With the increased urbanization around Utah Valley, it is rare to find open land like a farm. However, for the last 100 years, the Hunting Family Farm in American Fork has defied the odds and brought the community together in numerous ways. On Sept. 21, the farm received the Utah Century Farm and Ranch award from the Utah Farm Bureau and Utah State University’s agriculture department.
The Hunting family purchased the then-35-acre farm on March 18, 1925, for $500. During the Great Depression, the family planted the entire farm in sugar beets and paid it off. Gradually, the family continued buying property around the farm and eventually expanded into the 120-acre Hunting Family Farm seen today near the Trax station. The farm now frequently grows potatoes, onions, corn, alfalfa and grain. The crops grown on the farm help feed American Fork and the surrounding areas.
With a rich history of over seven generations living on the farm, the family treasures the land and the heritage associated with it.
“We always tell people that nobody grew up like we did. We had 120 acres of a backyard that we got to play in and family members everywhere,” said Challin Petersen, a family member raised on the farm. She has now taken on the role of farm defender.
In 1996, Petersen’s mom, Cassie Allred, placed the farm under agricultural protection. This monumental decision has now prevented Pioneer Crossing from splitting the farm in half. Throughout the years, the family has received many offers from developers encouraging them to sell, yet the family believes the farm is worth much more than money.
“Now, the farm is split up between me, my two brothers and our two cousins,” Petersen expressed. “All five of us are a united front and none of us want to sell. The farm is in our soul, and it is our job to protect it.”
With the recent passing of Cassie, the entire family has rallied around the farm and its significance. Cassie was “the heart and soul of the farm,” and family says her presence can be felt throughout the property. She was the champion for all that the farm represented, and the family has done everything in their power to honor her memory and keep the farm as it is.
“I have spent my whole adult life here and have become part of the family. It means the world to me. We have the seventh generation living on the farm. They all want to preserve it for the next hundred years,” Neal Allred, Cassie’s husband, said.
During the program, the family displayed photos, deeds and various awards from the century the farm has been operating. Jake Hadfield, a USU agriculture agent for Utah and Juab county, presented the award to the family.
“This award is well-deserved because farming right now is a hard thing, especially in Utah,” Hadfield said. “The fact that we can have a century farm here is amazing.”
Looking to the future, they hope to keep the farm in the family for another century.
“If we don’t preserve places like this, it will all become apartments and traffic. I know growth is coming, but this is a big state and there is a lot of room. We need green space like this,” Neal shared.
For more information on the Century Farm award, visit www.utahfarmbureau.org.
