DES MOINES &#8212 A family farm run by an Oskaloosa man and his relatives is being honored by the U.S. Department of Defense for supporting the National Guard and military Reserve.

The Augustine & Sons farm, run by Dan Augustine, is the first Iowa recipient of the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. It’s presented every year to 15 businesses nationwide.

The Augustine farm was nominated by one of its employees – 1st Sgt. Matt Strasser, who is on active duty in Afghanistan with the Iowa National Guard.

He and his wife, Jessica, said they believe the Augustines deserve the recognition.

“It’s hard to express the gratitude that I feel for them without tearing up,” Jessica Strasser said.

The farm, a 2,000-acre grain and livestock operation near Rose Hill, has only two full-time employees, aside from members of four Augustine families involved in the operation.

Matt Strasser began working at the farm about five years ago. Since then, he’s been called to active duty twice, first to Kosovo and now to Afghanistan.

Jessica Strasser, a secretary with the Iowa Department of Agriculture, and the couple’s sons, Reece, 9, and Tyler, 7, live in a house on the Augustine farm.

For the farming operation, having Strasser gone means doing the work with one less person. Dan Augustine said that pales compared to the sacrifice made by Dan and Jessica Strasser and the children.

“Our sacrifice is having him gone,” Dan Augustine said. “Her sacrifice is not having a father for the boys and her not having a husband for her support. That definitely outweighs any sacrifice we have to make by far.”

Dave Patel, deputy director for national operations of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, said he believes the farm is the smallest employer to receive the national honor.

The award will be presented in September at a ceremony in Washington.