Murphy Family to Receive Heritage Farm Family Award at Johnson County Fair

The John and Diane Murphy family of Tecumseh will receive the Knights of AkSarBen Heritage Farm Family Award at the 2026 Johnson County Fair on Sunday, August 16. The presentation will be held in front of the grandstand just before the Fair Parade reaches the Fairgrounds.
John Murphy and his wife Diane, are the fourth generation of the Murphy family to own 80 acres of farmland located approximately six miles west of Tecumseh, which has been in the Murphy family for 150 years.
Murphy's great grandparents, John and Ellen Kiley Murphy were one of the first settlers from Ireland to move into that area, which became known as the Yankee Creek Irish area. Then John's grandfather Pierce (PJ) and his wife, Margaret Kavanaugh Murphy lived on the farm. They later passed the farm down to their son, Arthur Murphy and his wife Lorene Rademacher Murphy. They continued to farm the land until they moved into the town of Vesta. John's 80 acres of land consists of tillable farm ground. His sisters, Margaret Parrish and Mary Ellen Lempka, also inherited 80 acres of land on the Murphy farm.
During the 1930's, hedgerows were planted on the farm. However, the hedgerows were removed in the 1950s. Arthur improved the land with waterways and terraces in the 1950s. John still remembers riding a tractor with his dad on the farm when he was a small boy. He also remembers milking a calm Holstein dairy cow, even though he didn't get too much milk. Murphy still has pictures of his mom and dad chasing the turkeys they raised inside the barn at the end of the day.
While John was in college, he would go out and cut thistles in the pastures on the land owned by his sisters, Mary Ellen and Margaret. Murphy said that most of his father's brothers and sisters moved to the west coast when they were grown, so there was always a large gathering whenever family members returned to Nebraska. Of course, they always wanted to take a tour of the farm where they grew up.
At one time, the farm had a barn made out of pegs. John recalled how the peg barns appeared to lean quite a ways to one side before collapsing.
Murphy said his great grandparents and grandparents used to have a large garden of vegetables as well as a large strawberry patch. Fruit from the trees had to be picked during the summer months. “Most of the food grown during my great-grandparents and grandparents day consisted of food grown for themselves rather than selling at a farmers market like they do today.”
Crops grown on the farm included corn, wheat, milo and soybeans. Hay and alfalfa were also available on the farm. When mowing the waterways, John still enjoys the aroma of sweet clover that pops up occasionally as he's mowing.
“We're glad and proud to be able to keep the farm in the family,” said Murphy. John remembers his folks receiving the Pioneer Farm Family Award while he was in high school.
The Murphys plan on passing the 80 acres of land on to their children, daughter, Megan Hankins and son Bryan Murphy. Megan is married to Shane Hankins and they live in Omaha with four sons, Reve, Shane, Jr., Benjamin and Maxwell. Bryan Murphy lives in Bedford, Iowa.