814-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday. Decamber 25, 1993 LOU ANN GOOD Lancaster Farming Staff STRASBURG (Lancaster Co.) For Roger and Kandy Rohier and their three children, Christmas is a time to slow down, forget about the farm work, and enjoy family and Mends. The Rohier family believe they have the best place a century farm surrounded by rolling acres edged with woodland in which to take a break from a fast-paced life. “From Memorial Day to Labor Day, we are going full-speed ahead and it really doesn’t slow down until Christmas,” Roger said. The most time consuming tasks for the Rohrers is the seven acres of tobacco that they grow and Roger’s job as an ag lender for Corestates Hamilton Bank. In addition, Kandy has a quilt busi- Roger and Kandy discuss holiday plans while sipping coffee and eating Christmas cookies. Even 7-year-old Ashiee cannot resist this wooly bear, her father’s trophy. Rohrer Family Find Century Farm Best Place To Celebrate Christmas ness. She pieces an average of two quilts a week and employs eight quilters. The quilts are marketed locally to tourists. The century farm was purchased by Roger’s great grandparents in 1893. From the beginning it was a 100-acre farm that had a public road running smack through the middle. In 1917, the farm was sold at a public auction and purchased by Roger’s grandfather, who lived on it until 194-5 when he purchased an adjacent farm and moved on it The grandfather’s oldest son, who is Roger’s Uncle Henry, purchased the farm. Roger grew up about one mile away on a dairy farm. Because he preferred crop farming, he often worked for his uncle, while his brother helped his dad on the dairy farm. “I always admired this pristine valley,” said Roger, who pur chased an adjacent 40 acres of land in 1979. When his uncle decided to retire in 1989, he offered to sell the farm to Roger and his brother. At that point the brothers decided to split the 100 acre farm since it was already divided by the road. On the SO acres that Roger purchased was the bam and tobacco shed but not the house so a new one was built. With the SO acres on the century The Rohrer family, from left, Kandy, Roger, Todd, 12; Ashlee, 7; and Mi Although the farm buildings came with the Century Farm when It was divided, the house did not. The Rohrers built this house. The tobacco field Is in the background. This Is one of the more than 100 quilts that Kandy pieced this year. After she stitch es the pieces together, she has one of the seven quilters who work for her, quilt the top. Most of the quilts are sold to tourists who see Kandy’s work at local consignment shop or at two nearby Bed and Breakfast Inns. farm and the 40 adjacent acres that Roger had previously purchased, the Rohrers’ property is now 90 acres. The Rohrers decided to apply for the Century Farm Award while their aunt and uncle were in good health and could enjoy the celebra tion. “My uncle lived on the prop erty for 70 years and really deserves the recognition.” he said. Roger and Kandy were eligible for the award because in addition to the farm needing to remain in the same family for 100 years, the award’s requirements state that the applicants must live on the proper ty and derive an agriculture income from the land. Roger and Kandy started by raising one acre of tobacco and now have seven acres of it. “It allowed us to finance the land,” Roger said. “It has been a great mortgage lifter.”
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