Homegrown: Uncle Craig's Century Farm

DES MOINES – We never did taste the deep-fried butter-on-a-stick, but this week's Iowa State Fair offered an opportunity to celebrate the agricultural backbone that makes the fair, and our state, so unique.

Century farms, those owned by the same families for 100 years or more, and Heritage farms, in the same family for at least 150 years, were honored Tuesday during a ceremony on the fairgrounds.

“Every farm here has a story to tell,” Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Bill Northey, said before recognizing this year's 341 Century farms, bringing the total to 17,141 since the program began. Another 56 families were honored for owning Heritage farms.

Indeed, some of the farmers recognized - men and women in their 80s and 90s who were born on the farm – undoubtedly have stories to tell.

The Hertz family from Laurens and the Diersens, of Sac City, were among the clans sporting t-shirts celebrating their achievement.

Every farm is special; this year, to me, was personal.

The rural Chelsea farm owned by my uncle, Craig Musel, was one of  the Century farms recognized.

Those 100 acres or so up on a hill are where Craig, my mother, Dorothy Martens, aunt Audrey Beuter, and uncle, Ronald Musel - who died just weeks ago - spent their childhood.

The land is also where my cousins, three brothers, sister and I spent many summers, “helping” our grandparents milk cows, gather eggs from the chicken coop, weed the vegetable patch and have fun the way kids tend to do – climbing trees, racing cucumber “boats” down the creek and jumping from one gigantic bale of hay to the next.

My brother, Gregg, who gathered and submitted the records on Uncle Craig's behalf, remarked how amazing it is to have so many Iowa farms still in the same family, especially considering the pace that rural land is being developed.

Hopefully, Craig will enjoy the farm for years to come. The land, purchased by my great-great-great grandfather, Michael Musel, has been in our family since 1866, bringing it just five years from achieving Heritage farm status.

To see other photos from the Iowa State Fair, see

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