(Radio Iowa) – A few hundred Iowans are being recognized at the Iowa State Fair today (Thursday) as the owners of farms that have been in the same family for at least 100 years. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig will be handing out the certificates beginning at 9-a.m.  “Truly my favorite day of the year which is the day that we recognize our Century and Heritage Farm award winners,” Naig says. “This year we’re going to recognize 439 families.”

A Heritage Farm has been in the same family for at least 150 years, a Century Farm for 100 years. Today’s (Thursday’s) ceremony will be held in the first building on the fairgrounds that was made of brick. It opened 122 years ago for cattle and horse shows — and Naig imagines some of the founders of Iowa’s Century farms have been in that building. “I cannot think of a better place or time to do that than in the historic Livestock Pavilion here at the great Iowa State Fair,” Naig says. “It’s just so fitting for that.”

More than two-thousand Iowa farms have been owned by the same family for at least 150 years. There are more than 21-thousand Century Farms on the state’s registry — including the farm near Cylinder where Naig grew up.