The list of Century Farms in Greene County grew by eight when Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey recognized Century and Heritage Farm families during a ceremony at the State Fair. 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 320 Century Farms and 103 Heritage Farms were recognized. This year was the 40-year anniversary of the Century Farms program and the 10-year anniversary of the Heritage Farms program.
Recognized as Century Farms were those owned by
- Robert Byrns Jr, (Marilyn Byrns Whitsitt, Marjory Byrns Festvog and Rosemary Byrns Warner), 2424 M Ave, Jefferson
- Concannon Trust (Dennis Fay and Darlene Davidson, trustees), 256 130th St, Churdan
- Donald Gibson (Dean Gibson), 718 230th St, Scranton
- John R and Janice Griffin (John B. Griffin), two farms- 150th St on the North, and 1982 120th St, Paton
- Steve and Rhonda Gustafson (Robert and Shari Lind, Wayne Gustafson, Donald and Beatrice Rittgers), 139 X Ave, Paton
- F. Stephen Molle (Betty J. Molle), 1522 330th St, Jefferson
- Gerald W. and Mary Byrns Page, 2424 M Ave, Jefferson (no picture available)
(Click on first photo to start slide show of full-size photos.)
“Being able to recognize these farm families is one of my favorite days of the year. This award is a tremendous celebration of the families who have cared for the land and raised the crops and livestock that helped build our state and feed the world. To own a farm for 100 or 150 years 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, more than 19,000 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 now 940 farms have been recognized.
The 2016 Century and Heritage Farms Program ceremony was held at the Iowa State Fair in the Pioneer Livestock Pavilion on Thursday, Aug. 18. Craig Hill, president of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (plaid button down shirt) joined Northey (blue polo shirt) to recognize all 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.”
