Like Farming, Cooking is a Multi-Generational Love

The Jacobsen family has been producing corn, soybeans and pork on an Iowa farm for almost as long as Iowa has been a state.

Doug and Carolyn Jacobsen began growing seed beans for Latham Seeds in the 1970s. They were the third generation to work the family’s Iowa Century Farm. Their son, Corey, and his wife, Kim, began growing seed beans in 1986 when he rented his first farm near the century farm.

While studying Ag Business at Iowa State University (ISU), Corey helped plant four crops and maintained his breeding-to-finish swine operation. He traveled home each weekend to do chores and made countless other trips whenever needed for breeding or farrowing. After graduating from ISU, Corey worked at Brenton Bank in Clarion and then at Dows United Bank & Trust, where he retired as bank president in 2000.

That’s when he started farming full time with Kim, who retired as a high school math teacher and coach at Clarion-Goldfield Dows.

Corey and Kim credit 4-H for laying the groundwork for future farmers, as well as for their three boys: Ben, Matthew and Caleb.

“Through 4-H, our boys learned skills they use on the farm such as welding, woodworking, small engines, along with the communication and record keeping,” Kim says. “We feel blessed that they grew up on the farm learning the value of honesty, hard work and sacrifice to accomplish goals. We couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Family favorite recipes are often passed down through generations. The Jacobsens are doing just that with these sausage and cheese egg roll wraps.