Century and Heritage Farms recognized during Iowa State Fair
Lloyd family farm recognized as Heritage Farm ... Bill and Sandra Lloyd were present at the Iowa State Fair August 16 to receive the recognition of the family’s farm located at 639 State Highway 76, Harpers Ferry as a Heritage Farm. Not pictured, Michael and Gwen Lloyd. Submitted photo.
Hitchins family farm recognized as Heritage Farm ... Members of the Donald and Dorothy Hitchins family were present at the Iowa State Fair August 16 to receive the recognition of the family’s farm located at 1498 Iowa River Drive, New Albin as a Heritage Farm. Submitted photo.
Seibert family farm recognized as Century Farm ... Elizabeth and Richard Seibert were present at the Iowa State Fair August 16 to receive the recognition of the family’s farm located at 1136 Ludlow Road, Waukon as a Century Farm. Submitted photo.
Powell family farm recognized as Century Farm ... Members of the Lawrence L. and Patricia Powell family were present at the Iowa State Fair August 16 to receive the recognition of the family’s farm located at 1081 Smithfield Drive, Luana as a Century Farm. Submitted photo.
Metz family farm recognized as Century Farm ... Members of the Deb M. Metz and Mark E. Schlitter families were present at the Iowa State Fair August 16 to receive the recognition of the family’s farm located on Scott Hollow Road, Monona as a Century Farm. Submitted photo.
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Farm Bureau celebrated families that have owned a farm for 100 years or 150 years
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig recognized Century and Heritage Farm families during a ceremony at the Iowa State Fair August 16. To qualify, a family must have owned at least 40 acres for 100 years or more in the case of Century Farms and 150 years or more for a Heritage Farm.
This year 359 Century Farms and 148 Heritage Farms were recognized. Among them were several Allamakee County farms, some of which are pictured below. The Adam and Kristy Anderson farm near Waterville was also recognized as a Heritage Farm but a photo was not available.
“To keep a farm in the same family for 100 or 150 years is a testament to the passion and perseverance of these families and a true picture of sustainability,” Naig said. “These families inspire all of us to roll up our sleeves, identify innovative conservation solutions and forge new public-private partnerships to ensure our agriculture industry remains strong for generations to come.”
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has partnered with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation since 1976 to recognize families that have owned and worked a farm for 100 years or more. Including this year’s recipients, more than 19,000 farms from across the state have been recognized.
The Heritage Farm program was started in 2006, on the 30th anniversary of the Century Farm program and more than 1,000 farms have been recognized.
The 2018 Century and Heritage Farms Program ceremony was held at the Iowa State Fair in the Pioneer Livestock Pavilion. Craig Hill, President of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, or Joe Heinrich, Vice President of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, joined Naig to recognize all award recipients. “It was a great honor to help present these awards and celebrate the rich history of these farms and farm families,” Naig said.
