Statement of Significance (as of designation - December 14, 1990):
Bernard Warkentin (1847-1908) was a significant figure in the history of American immigration for promoting German-Russian Mennonite settlement in the Central Great Plains region of the United States, and in the history of agriculture for introducing and improving Central European wheat varieties that revolutionized American grain production. Warkentin owned this property from 1874 until his death; the house he built in 1884 still stands, along with other farm buildings and some plots used in his wheat hybridization experiments.

The Corps of Engineers constructed a levee around the town of Halstead, which includes the Warkentin Farm. Following 1994 floods, owners declined to participate in the Federal Flood grant program. In 1995, flood damage to the barn and carriage house resulted in the shifting of structures off their foundations in some areas.