Secretary Naig Honors Century and Heritage Farm Families in Southeast Iowa
DES MOINES, Iowa (Oct. 22, 2020) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and Iowa Farm Bureau Federation District Director Rick Plowman honored families from Des Moines and Van Buren 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.”
“Agriculture and the dedicated families who work the land and care for livestock are the pride of the state, strength of our communities and backbone of Iowa’s economy,” says Plowman. “It’s an honor for IFBF to co-sponsor the Century and Heritage Farm programs recognizing the multi-generational farm families that have worked hard to keep their farms in the family for 100 and 150 years.”
The Century Farm family recognized includes:
- DeHart Family Farm from Van Buren County
The Heritage Farm family recognized includes:
- Barbara Fritz (Stephen, Jeff and David) from Des Moines 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 Rick Plowman, District Director for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, presented the awards.