Secretary Naig Honors Century and Heritage Farm Families in Northeast Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa (Sept. 15, 2020) - Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and Iowa Farm Bureau Federation Vice President Joe Heinrich honored families from Chickasaw, Clayton, Franklin and Howard counties with Century and Heritage Farm awards today. To achieve Century or Heritage Farm status, each family must maintain ownership of the land for 100 years or 150 years, respectively.

“The Century and Heritage Farm Program recognizes the strength and resiliency of Iowa farm families, and the sacrifices each generation has made to retain the ownership of the land for 100 or 150 years,” said Secretary Naig. “These families all deserve to be recognized and celebrated for reaching this milestone and being a part of Iowa’s rich agricultural legacy.”

“Iowa’s farm families have long been essential to the strength and prosperity of our rural communities,” said Joe Heinrich, Iowa Farm Bureau Vice President. “It’s a tremendous honor to co-sponsor the Century and Heritage Farm programs recognizing the great multi-generational farm families celebrating the milestones of 100 or 150 years of family farm ownership.”

The Century Farm families recognized includes:

• Andy Meyer & Charlotte Blong from Chickasaw County

• Joachim Prairie Farms, LLC from Chickasaw County

• Cletus & Doris Ries from Chickasaw County

• Lyle and Pat Gregerson from Clayton County

• Lonnie & Elise Martins from Clayton County

• ML Farms - Marvin Ladwig, Pamela Nixon, Todd Ladwig, Craig Ladwig, and families from Howard County

The Heritage Farm family recognized includes:

• Curt & Kristy Holt from Franklin County

There were 238 families who received the Century Farm award, recognizing 100 years of ownership, and 103 families who received the Heritage Farm award, recognizing 150 years of ownership, this year. Families who received the award in 2020 could choose to participate in a small regional event or the 2021 Iowa State Fair. The full list of Century and Heritage Farm awardees is available at iowaagriculture.gov/century-and-heritage-farm-program and photos can be accessed from the Department’s Flickr account.

Media: Photos are posted on the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Flickr page and will be updated as the regional events are held. Those photos can be downloaded at flickr.com/photos/iowaagriculture/albums. Photos will be labeled with the county and family's name. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and Joe Heinrich, Vice President of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, presented the awards.