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...