Area farms recognized as Century and Heritage Farms during Iowa State Fair
Members of the James Hager family were present at the Iowa State Fair August 12 to receive the recognition of the family’s farm located at 322 Hwy. 9, Waukon as a Heritage Farm. Submitted photo.
Members of the LeRoy McCabe family were present at the Iowa State Fair August 12 to receive the recognition of the family’s farm located at 729 Rossville Road in Waukon as a Century Farm. Submitted photo.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey recognized Century and Heritage Farm families during a ceremony at the Iowa State Fair again this year. 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, 344 Century Farms and 86 Heritage Farms were recognized. Among those honored farms were the Century Farm owned by the LeRoy McCabe family of Waukon and the Heritage Farm owned by the James Hager family of Waukon.
“It is a great pleasure and distinct honor to help recognize these farm families that have owned the same farm for 100 or 150 years. It is a testament to the values of land stewardship, hard work, patience, dedication and perseverance that are found in Iowa’s farm families,” Northey said.
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, 18,328 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 has recognized 736 farms.
The 2014 Century and Heritage Farms Program ceremony was held at the Iowa State Fair Tuesday, August 12. Craig Hill, President of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, or Joe Heinrich, Vice President of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, joined Northey in recognizing the award recipients.
“The program acknowledges the deep roots of Iowa agriculture and the special bond that exists between Iowa families and the land they farm,” Northey said. “The Iowa State Fair is a celebration of Iowa and Iowa Agriculture, so it’s a great place to recognize the Century Farm and Heritage Farm recipients.”
