681 Century and Heritage Farm Families Honored at Iowa State Fair

Program celebrates farms that have been in the same family for 100 and 150 years, respectively

DES MOINES, Iowa (Aug. 19, 2021) — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President Craig Hill and Vice President Joe Heinrich honored 681 Iowa farm families with Century or Heritage Farm designations at the Iowa State Fair today. The program celebrates farms that have been owned by the same families for 100 and 150 years, respectively.

“The Century and Heritage Farm program is a great way to recognize the strength and resiliency of Iowa’s multi-generation farm families who have overcome challenges, adapted to changing markets and embraced new technologies to be successful,” said Secretary Naig. “I always look forward to celebrating along with these families and hearing stories about their incredible journeys. I am grateful for these families’ continued commitments to our state’s agriculture community.”

“Every family farm receiving this incredible honor should be proud of where they began and where they are now. We’re seeing five, six even seven generations of farmers being recognized who have paid homage to the legacy their ancestors built while also cultivating their own way through innovation and sustainability practices,” said Craig Hill, Iowa Farm Bureau President. “This award reinforces what we already know—Iowa’s backbone continues to be in agriculture, and it’s been fortified through the strength of our state’s family farms.” 

The Century Farm program began in 1976 as part of the Nation’s Bicentennial Celebration. This year, 476 Century Farms and 205 Heritage Farms were recognized, including recipients from 2020 and 2021. Photos of the recipients will be available at flickr.com/photos/iowaagriculture/.

To date, 20,541 Century Farms and 1,566 Heritage Farms have been recognized across the state of Iowa.