Strength and resilience through tough circumstances are traits many Iowa farmers possess, and these qualities are perfectly illustrated in the journey from founding to century farm for the Langbein family of Sac County.

After buying three parcels near Black Hawk Lake in 1919, Frank Meyer enjoyed a few years of success before running into financial problems during the Great Depression.

By the early 1930s, Meyer had to let the farms go — selling one parcel to a neighbor and keeping the other two in the family by transferring them to his daughters.

“They were both teachers, and I guess at that time a teacher’s salary was enough to keep the farm,” explained Sac County Farm Bureau member Gary Langbein, who owns the farm today along with his three children.

Success and sorrow

Laura Meyer, one of Frank’s daughters, married William Lang­­bein, and they farmed together for many years along with their son, Arthur. Arthur married Janet Kreft; together they raised Gary and three girls on the farm.

William died when Gary was 5, and Arthur died when Gary was in his 20s. After that, Gary managed the row crop and pasture hog farm with his mom, Janet, until she turned over full control to him in 2019.  

“I guess I stayed in farming because everyone else died,” Gary said, half-joking about the grim circumstance his family experienced.

Prior to his dad’s death, shortly after college, Gary moved back to the farm and bought the acreage across the street from the home place in the early ’90s. This, plus the acres his parents owned, allowed Gary to build a thriving row crop business.

He raised pasture hogs until about 1999 or 2000. Today, he maintains a small cow-calf herd of about 40 head.

“That’s more of a hobby than anything,” Gary said.

A family affair

Outside of the farm, Gary also works part time as an auto mechanic at a garage in town.

He now farms with his three children, Nicole (Tim) Cohoon, Brandon (Emma) and Joe.

The kids each contribute vital talents to keep the farm running smoothly, with the boys helping with planting, harvest and equipment maintenance, and Nicole keeping the books.

Brandon said all in all, working as a family business has worked out well for the Langbeins.

“We all have ideas on how things should be done, but usually dad just says, ‘This is how we’re going to do it,’” he said.

Nicole agreed that Gary usually has the final say but doesn’t see that as a bad thing.

“We all stay very engaged in the farm and we all help out wherever it’s needed,” she said.

Changing farm practices

While previous generations maintained a frugal approach to the farm, Gary has adapted to changing times by adding technology into the mix.

“One thing we did was add auto steer and yield monitors to the combine,” Brandon said.

In another sign of the times, Gary, Brandon and Joe each got their CDLs in response to the two local elevators near the farm shutting down.

“It used to be we could just drive the wagon into Lake View and drop off our corn,” Brandon said. “We added trucks because now we have to haul to Yetter or Early.”

They also have deployed a variety of conservation efforts across the farm, including no-till and vertical till, and they have installed sediment basins, terraces and buffer strips.

A creek through their property runs into the Raccoon River, making the Langbeins a vital contributor to maintaining and improving water quality in the watershed.

Giving back

Gary has been a long-time Farm Bureau leader in Sac County, participating in Ag Leaders Institute in 2013 and holding various officer positions on the county board.

Nicole and Tim also have found ways to give back to the agricultural community with their work on the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) Young Farmers Advisory Committee. Tim was elected the committee’s public relations co-chair this year.

The Young Farmer committee is responsible for planning the IFBF Young Farmer annual conference, which brings together 500 attendees from across Iowa for learning and networking.
Additionally, committee members org­anize educational opportunities and family-friendly events in their local communities.

Award ceremony

The Langbein farm is among 246 Century Farms that will be recognized Aug. 14 at the Iowa State Fair.

In addition, a record 203 Heritage Farms will be honored during the annual award ceremony sponsored by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.