Centennial Farm Media Guide

Created in 1989, Centennial Farm is a three-acre working farm at OC Fair & Event Center that is designed to educate youth about agriculture and its importance to daily life. The Farm is home to fruit and vegetable gardens, livestock and the Millennium Barn. Through the on-site educational programs and free public hours, the Farm welcomes more than 100,000 guests a year outside the Fair season. 

Millennium Barn

Opened in 2000, this 76-foot-long, 60-foot-wide and 47-foot-tall red barn is the landmark building of Centennial Farm. The 4,680-square-foot educational working barn includes a milking parlor, exhibit and demonstration areas, horse stalls, tack room, veterinary room and hay lofts. During school tours and the annual OC Fair and Imaginology events, the barn is the location for live cow milking demonstrations and agriculture-based exhibits and demonstrations. The barn is also a popular venue for private events including weddings and dinners.

Gardens

A variety of seasonal crops are continually growing in raised garden beds including broccoli, carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, radish, corn, grapes, sweet peas, squash, zucchini, basil, lavender, thyme, oranges, bananas and rare fruits. Harvested vegetables, fruit and herbs are available for taking from the produce bin outside the Silo Building for a cash donation. Guests are discouraged from picking crops directly from the beds or trees.

Animals / Livestock

The feathered, furry and hoofed residents of Centennial Farm are the most popular “attractions” throughout the year. The Farm generally has pigs, goats, sheep, cows, chickens, rabbits and oxen. During school tours and the annual OC Fair and Imaginology events, guests can also interact with baby chicks, and throughout the year there will be a litter or two of piglets on-site. Guests are discouraged from climbing into pens or reaching too far into pens to pet, touch or feed the animals.

Hoss and Howie – The Farm’s Oxen Team

The Farm’s current oxen team, Hoss and Howie, is American Milking Devon cattle from Larkspur, Colorado. They were born in 2013 and joined Centennial Farm in 2016. American Milking Devon was the first purebred cattle breed in the U.S. and the favorite of President George Washington. American Milking Devon cattle average 1,100 to 1,600 pounds, have coats that range from light to dark ruby red in color and don white horns with black tips. Hoss and Howie were a part of a 10-year conservancy breeding program that has produced more than 60 head of cattle in order to sustain the historic breed. As part of their permanent residency at Centennial Farm, Hoss and Howie are featured as the Farm’s oxen team, educating the public about oxen through demonstrations during on-site school tours and at the annual OC Fair and Imaginology events.

School Tours

From September to June, Centennial Farm hosts free school tours for local school and youth groups through two diverse programs. Both programs require preregistration online.