ASHLAND — For seven generations, a family tradition has been playing out at the Twin Oak Farm near Perrysville.
A stewardship of the land — a legacy that started with the Cowen family and now extends to the Workman and Cowen families — has defined the farming operation.
For four of those generations, they have partnered with the Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District. It is why the Ashland SWCD Board of Supervisors unanimously selected Twin Oak Farm and the Workman and Cowen families as the recipients of the 2026 Ashland SWCD Horizon Award.
The Horizon Award recognizes conservation groundbreakers and innovators who have made a lasting difference in the history of soil and water conservation in Ashland County, according to the community announcement.
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"A farm like Twin Oak reminds us that conservation isn't about chasing the newest practice or checking a box," said Ashland SWCD Director Jane Houin. "It's about having the long view — knowing that the decisions you make today are going to affect the people who farm this ground decades from now."
Joseph Cowen, an immigrant from Ireland, acquired the property in 1831. Seven generations later, the Cowen family is still farming the land. Joseph's son, William, and grandson, Philpot, continued the family farm while also serving the community as attorneys.
One of Philpot's sons, Joseph Cowen, would go on to become one of the original board members of the newly formed Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District in 1944.
"Joseph Cowen was thinking about soil and water conservation before our district even had a name," Houin added. "Seven generations later, his family is still putting those principles into practice. That is exactly what the Horizon Award is meant to recognize."
Joseph Cowen was the first farmer in Ashland County to use contour farming techniques in the late 1930s, working with Civilian Conservation Corps workers. Those original contour strips were about 80 feet wide. Today, the farm's strips have grown to approximately 200 feet.
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Joseph's son, Barry "Grandpa" Cowen, continued the family tradition. Barry raised cattle, was known as an expert butcher and woodsman, and — perhaps unsurprisingly — followed his father into conservation leadership by also serving on the Ashland County Soil & Water Conservation District board.
The family farm changed hands again when Barry died in 1992, leaving the main homestead to his daughter, Cammie, and her family. Fred Workman and his son, Jason, continued working the farm.
In 2008, the 1831 Cowen farm officially became Twin Oak Farm, named for the two distinctive oak trees visible from the main lane, standing apart from the woods on the hill. The name was also a tribute to Grandpa Barry, who loved walking down the lane and sitting beneath those oaks, where he could look back toward his home, barns and everything he had worked so hard to build, according to the announcement.
Today, Jason Workman, the seventh generation of the Cowen family, oversees the Twin Oak Farms operation — with plenty of help from his parents and sister.
The farm's conservation philosophy is remarkably straightforward: take great care of the land.
Twin Oak Farm no-tills all of its crop acreage, utilizes rotational grazing to prevent overgrazing, and has worked to fence livestock out of its creeks to reduce nutrient pollution and streambank erosion. The farm also uses contour strips to reduce topsoil erosion.
The farm currently grows corn, soybeans, hay and spelt, much of which is used to feed its cattle.
Twin Oak Farm has been named an Ashland SWCD Outstanding Cooperator three times —1967, 1980 and 2016. In 2024, the farm was also selected as the Ohio Conservation Farm Family of the Year.
You can't tell the Twin Oak Farm story without talking about cattle.
Barry Cowen originally favored Polled Shorthorns and built a herd around them. Today, Twin Oak Farms maintains a herd of approximately 70 cows, primarily Polled Shorthorns, and has significantly improved the pedigree of the herd since 2008. The family has exhibited its cattle across Ohio and at shows in South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan, including the North American International Livestock Exhibition in Louisville.
Rotational pastures help manage grazing pressure, while the farm's crop and hay acres provide much of the feed needed to sustain the herd.
Perhaps the most fitting part of the Horizon Award is that Twin Oak Farm doesn't represent one great conservation project or one particularly innovative year. It represents consistency.
Joseph Cowen was thinking about soil erosion when contour strips were a new idea.
Barry Cowen carried conservation leadership onto the SWCD board.
Cammie, Fred and Jason continued working the farm.
And today, Jason Workman is carrying the family operation—and its conservation ethic—into the seventh generation.Just this summer, Twin Oak Farm once again opened its gates to the community, hosting Ashland SWCD's "Cover Your Bases" Conservation Chat on cover crops. The hands-on event gave producers an opportunity to see conservation practices in action and talk about soil health, erosion prevention and cover crop management right where the work happens—in the field.
After nearly 200 years on the same piece of ground, the family has learned a thing or two about looking toward the horizon. And if history is any indication, they aren't done yet.
The Ashland SWCD Horizon Award will be presented to Twin Oak Farm and the Workman and Cowen families at the district's Annual Meeting and Conservation Chat, Forest to Flask, on Nov. 9 at Mount Vernon Estates in Ashland.This year's Ashland SWCD Annual Meeting will look different than in years past. While traditionally held in August in conjunction with Ashland County Farm Bureau's Annual Meeting, this year's event will be entirely focused on Ashland SWCD and will be held in conjunction with the district's November Conservation Chat: Forest to Flask.
The event will feature outstanding conservation activities and cooperators over the last year as well as feature a look at the white oak bourbon crisis, including a look at how woodland owners can improve their white oak stands as well as bourbon tasting featuring local distiller Minglewood Distilling. Reservations are required and can be made at foresttoflask.eventbrite.com
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: This family farm has been protecting land since 1831