Joe Thomas went from NFL to building a farm
NFL Hall of Famer Joe Thomas explains how he started Hall of Fame Farms in 2012 to focus on healthy eating and high-quality beef.
Half a century before America declared independence, John Lester broke soil on a 150-acre plot of land in East Hampton, N.Y. Little did he know, the next 300 years would see nine generations of his direct descendants cultivate that land. As our young nation took root and endured hardship, so did Round Swamp Farm. Today, Carolyn Lester Snyder carries on the family tradition by growing and selling produce on the property, with the help of her husband, children and grandchildren. They are a living, breathing, working testament to the American Dream and to America’s long legacy of family farming.
This summer, the Trump administration is honoring that glorious inheritance by launching the American Family Farm Legacy 250 Program. In partnership with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is building on proud traditions established during America’s bicentennial and elevating them into a unified national commitment.
A long chain of uninterrupted family ownership is no small feat. That’s why this program publicly recognizes the inspirational perseverance of multigenerational farm families, from 100-year legacies to the extraordinary handful of patriots who have stewarded their land for 250 years or more.
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From the Eastern Shore of Maryland to the wooded hills of western Massachusetts, from the South Fork of Long Island to the country roads of rural North Carolina, these farms remind us just how much rural America matters to all of America. Critically, they have sustained us with the food we eat and the clothes on our backs. But even more importantly, they have been the wellspring of our most cherished values and time-honored traditions.
President Donald Trump walks past tractors as he arrives to participate in a roundtable on "American Agriculture" at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls, Wis. (SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)
In times of tranquility and times of crisis, these men and women stand in the gap, reaffirming their commitment to the American way of life. To faith and family. To patriotism and civic responsibility. To standing where their mothers and fathers stood. And to remaining steadfast in hope for what’s on the horizon.
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When the first generations of these family farmers planted the seeds of liberty, they laid the foundation for an unrivaled American agricultural might that has only grown stronger across each generation. During droughts and depression, through war and peace, their forebears kept the plows turning, the tractors running and our rich American soil fertile for freedom.
These powerful legacies remind each of us that we are part of a larger story — a story we did not originally author and the ending of which we will not see. Our duty is to honor the magnificent inheritance we’ve been gifted by fighting for the prosperity of American agriculture with every fiber of our being. This is at the heart of the Farmers First agenda we are carrying out across the Trump administration. Empowered by President Donald Trump’s leadership, we are putting our farmers, ranchers and rural communities back at the center of policymaking.
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While the American Family Farm Legacy 250 Program is primarily meant to put a spotlight on farms with centuries of continuous operation, it also celebrates the future of American agriculture and the next generation of farmers who dare to take up the noble mantle of stewardship.
After all, America’s success is bound up in theirs. This is what Thomas Jefferson meant when he wrote in 1785, "Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bands."
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The family farms honored by the American Family Farm Legacy 250 Program are bound more closely to our nation than any others. As we continue celebrating America’s 250th birthday, it is only fitting that we salute the families whose grit, sacrifice and stewardship have fed our nation, strengthened our communities and preserved our agricultural heritage across generations.
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Five of those families joined us on the National Mall this summer, and we are eager to visit more in person in the coming months. President Trump has made restoring pride in America’s history a national priority, and together, we are ensuring our farmers receive the recognition and support that they deserve.
Ambassador Monica Crowley serves as chief of Protocol of the United States. She served as assistant secretary of the Treasury for public affairs from 2019 to 2021.
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