Sims Farms Honored as a Century Farm: Making History as South Carolina’s First African American Century Farms Award Winner

Sims Farms is proud to announce a historic milestone for our family and for agriculture in South Carolina. In 2023, Sims Farms was honored with the Century Farms Award, becoming the first African American-owned farm in South Carolina to receive this recognition and the first farm in Dorchester County to ever earn the award.

This achievement is more than an award—it is a celebration of perseverance, legacy, and generational commitment to the land.

What Is the Century Farms Award?

The Century Farms Award, presented by the Bart Garrison Agricultural Museum of South Carolina, recognizes families who have owned and continuously operated their farm for 100 years or more. The program honors agricultural families whose dedication has preserved South Carolina’s farming heritage across generations.

Learn more about the award:

https://www.bgamsc.org/calhoun-edgefield

The Sims Legacy: Since 1876

The Sims family has owned and worked this land since 1876, passing down knowledge, responsibility, and respect for agriculture from one generation to the next. For nearly 150 years, our family has remained committed to farming—not only as a livelihood, but as a legacy.

Our mission has always been clear:

• Preserve our family’s land

• Continue sustainable farming practices

• Provide USDA-certified produce

• Create jobs and economic opportunity within the community

Receiving the Century Farms Award affirms the values our ancestors instilled and reinforces our responsibility to protect and grow what they started.

A Moment of Honor and History

Members of the Sims family attended the official Century Farms Award ceremony, a moment filled with pride, reflection, and gratitude. During the same event, our family was inducted into the Bart Garrison Agricultural Museum of South Carolina, further cementing our place in the state’s agricultural history.

A particularly meaningful highlight of this induction is the display of a corn grinder belonging to third-generation farmer Isaac Sims, which is now preserved and showcased at the museum. This artifact represents not only the tools of farming, but the hard work, ingenuity, and resilience of generations past.

Looking Ahead

While we honor our past, Sims Farms remains focused on the future. We are committed to expanding our impact, supporting local agriculture, and ensuring that this land remains productive and protected for generations to come.

Winning the Century Farms Award is a reminder that legacy matters—and that when land is cared for with purpose, it can tell a story far bigger than any one generation.

From our family to yours, thank you for being part of this journey.

— The Sims Family

Sims Farms | Est. 1876