T-R PHOTO BY MIKE DONAHEY
Members of the Marie Herndon family of New Providence is pictured holding their Century Farm certificate and metal sign as part of Century Farm program in the Pioneer Livestock Pavilion Thursday at the Iowa State Fair. Making the award presentation on stage was Iowa Agriculture Security Mike Naig, far left, and President of Iowa Farm Bureau Federation Craig Hill, far right.

The late President Harry Truman said, “The only thing new is the history you didn’t know yet.”

And after Thursday, nearly 500 farm families knew their farms has played a major role in feeding and fueling the world while making a significant contribution to Iowa’s economy.

Fittingly, the historic Pioneer Livestock Pavilion, constructed in 1902 on the Iowa State Fairgrounds, played host to the award ceremony which attracted hundreds of farmers and non-farmers alike.

There, Century and Heritage Farm awardees were publicly honored on stage by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.

He was joined by Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President Craig Hill and Vice President Joe Heinrich.

The Century Farm program celebrates families who have consecutive ownership within the same family for 100 years or more of at least 40 acres of the original holding of farm land. The present owner must be related to a person who owned the property 100 years ago.

More than 20,000 Century awards have been presented since inaugural year 1976.

On Thursday, 332 Century Farms were acknowledged, with 21 from the primary Times-Republican readership area of Grundy, Hardin, Marshall and Tama counties.

Glenn Brown and extended families from Eldora turned out in force to receive their Heritage Farm certificate and metal yard sign.

“This is really special,” Sarah White said minutes after their family’s award.

“I can’t imagine what it was like on day one farming that homestead,” Brown said, thinking of what the farm’s founder discovered in 1854, eight years after Iowa achieved statehood.

The Heritage program honors those who have continuously owned farm land 150 years or more, holding at least 40 acres of the original farm and present owner must be related to a person who owned the property 150 years ago.

The Heritage Farm category was added in 2007. Since then, more than 1,300 awards have been made, with 153 honored Thursday. Fifteen were from the T-R area.

The nearly nine-hour ceremony was co-sponsored by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.

Naig, Hill and Heinrich strive to make each family feel special as they work their way onstage for complimentary photographs.

Adults receive a hardy handshake while children a “fist-bump.”

Kids or adults hold the Century or Heritage Farm certificate as other family members hold a metal yard marker.

“Having grown up on a Century Farm in Palo Alto county, I know each of these farms and families care for them and embody the lessons of perseverance, hard work, care for the land, the importance of family and community, and countless other values that come from life on a farm,” Naig said.

Farm families from Grundy, Hardin, Marshall and Tama counties were in force with 30 of 36 awardees attending.

The oldest Century qualifier in the T-R area was the Michael Eugene Everts farm in Gilman, Marshall County, established in 1869.

The oldest Heritage qualifier was a tie between the Brown farm and the Delia Ann Schroeder farm in Tama, Tama county, established in 1854.

Judy Sherwood of Pella came to see relatives with the Mark McConeghey farm family in Monroe receive their Heritage Farm award.

She clapped loudly when they were on stage.

“I would not have missed this for anything,” she said.