Hans Sorensen, born in Denmark in 1898, dreamed of coming to America. At the tender age of 16, he arrived in New York City harbor. The year was 1914. He wanted his own farm, so he sustained himself by working in the dairy business, a livelihood he was familiar with back home. Always searching, Hans learned of a 200-acre farm located in Florida. He saved his hard-earned money and purchased the farm sight unseen. Excited, he rode his motorcycle from Long Island to North Florida to begin a new way of life farming his own land. Hans started his farm in 1929 with 12 dairy cows and a hog operation.

Han Sorensen married and had two children. His son Hans (Sonny) helped with the dairy operation and took over after the death of his mother and father.

Sonny married and had four children. He purchased an additional 200 acres surrounding his father's original farm. After Sonny died, his children maintained the farm and milked until 1991.

The day came that the dairy cows were sold, and the farm became a diverse operation of row cropping, timber, beef cows, and hay. The Sorensen family learned about CRP and decided to enroll 13.5 acres to filter runoff water from nearby fields. The buffer protects the water in a 10-acre lake.

Aerial view of Sorensen farm and main house shows CRP trees that provide buffer for 10-acre lake.

The Sorenson men took a rare break to pose for this photo in 1971. Right to left: Hans Sorenson, age 72; grandson Jeff Sorenson; son Hans (Sonny) Sorenson; and grandson Eric Sorenson.