Sec. Naig honors Century/Heritage Farm families

DES MOINES - 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.”

Century Farms

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

• Chickasaw County: Andy Meyer and Charlotte Blong; Joachim Prairie Farms, LLC; Cletus and Doris Ries

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.