Fordyce family receives Pioneer Family Farm Award

HARTINGTON — A rural Fordyce family has been honored for owning its farm for more than 100 consecutive years.

Wuebben Farms, located west of Fordyce, received a 2023 Aksarben Pioneer Family Farm Award on July 19 during this year’s Cedar County Fair in Hartington.

The family farm operation is owned by Bob and Linda Wuebben and their son Craig Wuebben and his wife, Anne. Craig, Anne and their son Grant accepted the award on behalf of their family.

To commemorate the achievement, the Wuebben family was given an engraved plaque and a gatepost marker.

Craig noted his family appreciates receiving the recognition.

The plot of ground that qualified the Wuebben family farm for the award is part of the original homestead of Bernard and Helen Wuebben. The family settled west of Fordyce in the early 1900s.

The family later passed a 40-acre plot of land to the farmstead of son Steve Wuebben and his wife, Margaret. Over the years, the couple grew the farm to 300 acres.

When Bob, the next generation, came on board, the farm increased by another 100 acres of ground.

Craig noted he is looking forward to the fifth generation of Wuebbens as they grow up and become part of the family farm operation.

The Aksarben Foundation began celebrating the dedication and perseverance of Nebraska farm families with Pioneer Family Farm awards in 1956. Since then, nearly 10,000 families have been recognized statewide with either a Pioneer Family Farm Award, which honors 100 years of consecutive farm ownership within one family, or a Heritage Family Farm Award, which honors 150 years of consecutive farm ownership within one family.