[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 129 (Friday, September 21, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1603]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING FAIR FAMILY FARMS OF MANN'S CHOICE, PENNSYLVANIA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 20, 2012

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Fair Family Farms of 
Mann's Choice, Pennsylvania. On September 5, 2012, the farm marked its 
200 years of continuous ownership and operation by the descendents of 
Lewis Turner.
  In 1812, Lewis Turner of Louden County, Virginia, purchased the 241-
acres that would become the original farm from the Estate of George 
Woods and from Dr. John and Mary Anderson of Bedford County. Lewis and 
his wife, Anna Maria Beltz, raised their six children on the farm. 
Following Lewis' death, his eldest son Fredrick Turner purchased the 
farm on April 24, 1838. Frederick and his wife, Susannah Mahala Exline, 
raised their seven children on the farm and constructed a gristmill on 
the property, remnants of which are still visible today.
  Upon Frederick Turner's death, the farm was divided between three of 
his sons. One of the three, Andrew Turner, purchased the 95-acre Parent 
Parcel, a portion of the original land that has remained in the 
family's possession since the original 1812 survey. In 1865, Andrew and 
his wife Anna Mariah Hillegass constructed a barn and homestead in 
which they raised their eight children. The homestead remains in use to 
this day.
  Following the death of Anna Maria, the farm passed to her daughter 
Mary M. Turner and her husband, John W. Fair, on December 20, 1912. On 
April 2, 1923, they transferred the property to one of their six 
children, Ralph A. Fair, and his wife, E. Mae Mowry. The farm changed 
hands again on February 12, 1959, when Ralph H. and Floyd A. Fair, two 
of Ralph and Mae's three sons, took possession of the property. Since 
1979, Ralph and his wife, Geraldine V. Coughenour, have worked to 
acquire portions of the original land that had been subdivided and sold 
over the years, and now hold 226 of the original 241 acres. Throughout 
their 55 years of marriage, Ralph and Geraldine have always lived on 
the farm where Ralph was born and where they raised their six children, 
two of whom still live on the property.
  After Floyd's death, full ownership of the farm passed to Ralph and 
Geraldine, on June 29, 2006. In 2008, Ralph and Geraldine created Fair 
Family Farms LLC to hold and preserve all the farm's land. They, as 
well as four of their children, are partners of the LLC, making them 
the 6th and 7th generation owners of the ancestral farm.
  Since the farm's creation 200 years ago, it has remained an active 
dairy. Currently, Fair Family Farms is the only Pennsylvania Certified 
Organic dairy in Bedford County, producing milk, hay, corn and oats, as 
well as a significant poultry operation that produces million of eggs 
each year.
  It is quite an accomplishment to keep a farm productive and in the 
same family for seven generations. Happy bicentennial, Fair Family 
Farms, and best wishes for many more!

                          ____________________