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From left, co-owners Mark, Ronnie, Steve and Terry Oestman are pictured with their Centennial Farm & Ranch sign, which they were awarded at the Colorado State Fair on Aug. 24 in Pueblo. Not pictured are co-owners Brent Oestman and Connie Schott. — Johnson Publications

Oestmans recognized for 100 years of family farming

    Following in the footsteps of grandparents and great-grandparents, the Oestman family of Wray is continuing to make its mark on the agricultural history of northeast Colorado.
    On Aug. 24, at a ceremony held during the Colorado State Fair, Oestman Farm and Ranch was recognized as a Centennial Farm and Ranch, along with 30 other farms that have seen more than a century of operation by a single family.
    “I think it’s a mixture of perseverance and stubbornness,” co-owner Mark Oestman said. “It’s great that the state is recognizing the importance of agriculture and standing the test of time.”
    In 1916, Fred and Jennie Oestman established a homestead on 160 acres in the sandhills about 20 miles north of Wray. Fred and Jennie came from Illinois and Nebraska respectively, and they raised 11 children together on their farm.
    Soon, the farm acquired an additional 1,800 acres, on which the Oestmans raised cattle, corn, hay, wheat and watermelons. Terry said the Oestmans were one of the first families to grow watermelons in the sandhills.
    The farm was passed onto Fred and Jennie’s son, Dallas, and his wife, Patricia. The two installed irrigation on the farm in the 1960s and 1970s.
    Dallas later handed the farm over to his five children  — Terry, Steve, Ronnie and Brent Oestman, and Connie Schott — and his grandson, Mark.

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