Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President Craig Hill and IFBF Vice President Joe Heinrich honored 681 Iowa farm families with Century Farm or Heritage Farm designations at the 2021 Iowa State Fair. 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 multigeneration farm families who have overcome challenges, adapted to changing markets and embraced new technologies to be successful," Naig said. "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," Hill said. "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 are 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.

Source: Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, which is responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and its subsidiaries aren't responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.