FAMILY LAND HERITAGE PROGRAM
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
COMMISSIONER SID MILLER
The Texas Department of Agriculture’s (TDA) Family Land Heritage (FLH) Program honors farms and ranches that have been in continuous agricultural production by the same family for 100, 150 and 200 years.
HOW TO APPLY FOR THE FAMILY LAND HERITAGE PROGRAM:
- Read each rule on the following page carefully to ensure your property qualifies.
- Gather supporting land ownership documents and background material. If you have digital copies, you may upload them at the end of the application.
- Send copies of these materials with the application. DO NOT SEND ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. A PDF copy of the form will be emailed to you for your convenience.
- If additional space is needed, submit information in an email, giving the section and item number to which it corresponds to FamilyLandHeritage@texasagriculture.gov.
- Submit the completed application and supporting documents to the county judge for certification in the county where the farm or ranch is located.
- Submit two photographs of the property and/or its owners. Please indicate which photo you prefer to be reproduced for FLH purposes. These photos may be reproduced for display or in the FLH registry.
- Photographs are acceptable if they are photographic-quality copies. Plain paper copies of photographs are not acceptable.
- Label each photo with your name and address (mailing labels work well). All photos will be returned.
- The FLH program shall assume all rights to publish and/or reproduce any photograph submitted to TDA for the FLH Program.
- Mail the completed application, copies of supporting documents and photographs to TDA at the address below. You will be notified whether the farm or ranch qualifies. If there are questions about the application, you may be required to provide additional documentation to support the statements.
- There is no charge to apply for the program.
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
FAMILY LAND HERITAGE PROGRAM
P.O. BOX 12847, AUSTIN, TEXAS 78711-2847
Phone: (512) 463-7476 or (800) TELL-TDA
Internet Address: www.TexasAgriculture.gov
For the hearing impaired: Relay Texas (800) 735-2988 (voice) or
(800) 735-2989 (TTY)
The information provided in this application may be subject to a public information request and thus may be made available to the public. Not only does an individual have the right, with few exceptions, to be informed about the information that a state agency collects about him and to receive and review such information, but the individual also has the right to ask the state agency to correct any information possessed by the state agency about the individual that is incorrect. (Texas Government Code sections 552.021, 552.023, 559.004).
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING RULES CAREFULLY.
DO NOT SUBMIT AN APPLICATION
UNLESS ALL REQUIREMENTS ARE FULFILLED.
Applications are accepted Jan. 1 – May 31 of each year.
OWNERSHIP RULES
1. Farm or ranch owners must reside in Texas.
2. The line of ownership from the first family member owning the land to current owner(s) may be through wives, husbands, children, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins. Adopted children will be recognized equally with blood children. The line of ownership and dates must be clearly stated in the application and on the line of ownership on the last page.
3. Any land that has been sold or is in the process of being sold or leased to a non-relative is ineligible.
4. Owner or co-owner must actively manage and direct the everyday agricultural operation of the farm or ranch. Absentee ownership of land devoted only to hunting and timber leases or similar enterprise does not qualify for this program.
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION RULES
1. The land must meet the following old U.S. Census definition of a farm: 10 acres or more with agricultural sales of $50 or more a year; or if less than 10 acres, sales of at least $250 a year.
2. The land must have been agriculturally productive and owned by family members for 100, 150 or 200 years or more.
3. If all the land has ever been rented or leased to someone outside the family, it does not qualify.
4. If only a portion of the land was leased, and as much as 10 acres retained in the family for agricultural production with sales of at least $50 annually, it will qualify.
APPLICATION RULES
1. Please answer all questions on this application as applicable. If the application is unclear or incomplete, it could be returned to you for clarification. Make copies of the appropriate pages for additional owners.
2. Applications must be certified by the county judge in which the property is located. Supporting documents must be submitted with the application when appearing before the county judge. No notary is required. Final verification of the applicant’s admission in the FLH Program will be made by TDA.
3. TDA will provide one FLH certificate to each farm or ranch that is recognized. Additional certificates are available upon request for a fee. (subject to availability)
4. Include information on all current owners and co-owners. Only the names of the current owners and co-owners residing in Texas will be listed in the FLH Program. If a co-owner of a property was not registered on a farm/ranch that qualifies, he or she may not reapply.
5. Once a 100-year farm or ranch has been recognized, it will not qualify for another 100-year certificate even though the land may have changed hands. If family members have developed separate farms or ranches from the founder’s acreage and they meet all the program requirements, each property owner may apply separately for the program. For example, Hiram Johnson willed each of his three children a portion of his land and their descendants continue to farm or ranch separately. Each descendant’s farm or ranch can apply for the program.
6. If a farm or ranch has previously been recognized for 100 years and it still meets the requirements, owners can apply for it to be recognized again for reaching 150 and 200 years. A farm or ranch does not have to be recognized for 100 years to apply for the 150- and 200-year designation.
**Please put N/A if the question is not applicable.**