DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey reminds eligible farm owners that the deadline to apply for the 2014 Century and Heritage Farm Program is June 1. The program recognizes families that have owned their farm for 100 years in the case of Century Farms and 150 years for Heritage Farms.
“The deadline for families with a Century or Heritage applications is quickly approaching and I hope those with an eligible farm will take the time to apply,” Northey said. “This program is a great way to highlight the deep history and strong heritage of agriculture in our state.”
Farm families with a century or heritage farm must submit an application to the Department no later than June 1, 2014 to qualify for recognition this year.
Applications are available on the Department’s website at www.IowaAgriculture.gov by clicking on the Century Farm or Heritage Farm link under “Hot Topics.”
Applications may also be requested from Becky Lorenz, coordinator of the Century and Heritage Farm Program via phone at 515-281-3645, email at Becky.Lorenz@IowaAgriculture.
The program is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. The ceremony to recognize the 2014 Century and Heritage Farms is scheduled to be held at the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
The Century Farm program began in 1976 as part of the Nation’s Bicentennial Celebration and 17,851 farms from across the state have received this recognition. The Heritage Farm program was started in 2006, on the 30th anniversary of the Century Farm program, and 650 farms have been recognized.
Last year 365 Century Farms and 67 Heritage Farms were recognized.
