73 Indiana farms receive historic homestead award

INDIANAPOLIS – On August 18 at the Indiana State Fair, Lt. Gov Suzanne Crouch and Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Bruce Kettler presented 73 family farms with a Hoosier Homestead Award, recognizing their family’s longstanding commitment to Indiana agriculture.

To be named a Hoosier Homestead, farms must be owned by the same family for more than 100 consecutive years, and consist of 20 acres or more, or produce more than $1,000 in agricultural products per year.

“Agriculture has always been and continues to be a vital and thriving industry in our state,” Crouch said. “I always look forward to honoring these Hoosier Homestead Award recipients on their family’s commitment to their farm, community and heritage.”

Families are eligible for three different distinctions of the Hoosier Homestead Award, based on the age of the farm. They can receive the Centennial Award for 100 years, Sesquicentennial Award for 150 years or Bicentennial Award for 200 years of ownership.

Since the program’s inception in 1976, nearly 6000 families have received the award. Often, a Hoosier Homestead farm is easily recognized because most recipients proudly display their awarded sign on their property.

“Each of these Hoosier Homestead farms have such a unique and important story behind them,” Kettler said. “Managing and operating a farm is no simple task, and I commend each of the families that receive this award for their dedication and devotion to agriculture.”

The following list includes the August 2021 Hoosier Homestead Award recipients.

CountyNameHomestead DateAward
AdamsKiefer1882Centennial
AllenScherrer1900Centennial
BartholomewAnthers1871Sesquicentennial
BartholomewO’Neal — Dickey 1919Centennial
BentonEnglish1871Centennial and Sesquicentennial
BentonHasser1916Centennial
BrownParsley1920Centennial
CarrollBeen1910Centennial
CarrollDuff1921Centennial
CarrollPenn1867Centennial and Sesquicentennial
ClarkJohnson1921Centennial
ClayEdward & Anna Spaeth1921Centennial
ClayHarvey Fell1918Centennial
DaviessBean1907Centennial
DecaturCarroll1871Sesquicentennial
DeKalbGeorge E. Baker 1918Centennial
DeKalbRosenbury1906Centennial
DeKalbTustison/Hook1845Sesquicentennial
DuboisHoppenjans1921Centennial
DuboisLawrence Gutgsell 1910Centennial
FayetteWinfield Schockey/David Dean1921Centennial
FranklinBrier1906Centennial
FranklinKnecht1846Centennial and Sesquicentennial
FranklinMcNally1918Centennial
FranklinSchuck/Knecht1879Centennial
FranklinSchuck/Knecht1902Centennial
GibsonHardiman/Lyles/Nolcox/Solomon1915Centennial
HamiltonRinger 1894Centennial
HarrisonLeffler1874Centennial
HarrisonReinhardt1871Sesquicentennial
HendricksDillon1917Centennial
HowardJean Gesse — Kingseed Farm1848Centennial and Sesquicentennial
HowardDavis1920Centennial
HowardBreisch1848Centennial and Sesquicentennial
HowardKingseed1903Centennial
HowardKingseed1919Centennial
HuntingtonBrubaker1899Centennial
JacksonAnthony – Browning – Robbins1919Centennial
JacksonGarriott – Robbins1914Centennial
JacksonGeorge Parke Vehslage1862Centennial and Sesquicentennial
JacksonPfaffenberger1853Centennial and Sesquicentennial
JasperSmith1871Sesquicentennial
JayBell1885Centennial
JenningsAnthers/Blair1821Bicentennial
JenningsBiehle1906Centennial
JenningsBiehle1906Centennial
LaPorteShebel1920Centennial
LaPorteSteve and Joann Jensen1871Sesquicentennial
LawrenceFountain1920Centennial
MartinSherfick1920Centennial
MiamiClendenning/Fouts/See1841Sesquicentennial
MiamiCrockett1865Centennial and Sesquicentennial
MorganCharles J. Kirk1906Centennial
MorganOliver, August, & Alice Dilley1902Centennial
MorganRawlins1917Centennial
NobleRaymond & Karen Parker1917Centennial
ParkeLennie C. Pyle1920Centennial
PulaskiTheodore & Lowell Podell1900Centennial
PulaskiWilliam Meyer1899Centennial
PutnamJeffries1885Centennial
RandolphFogle1919Centennial
RandolphHarry & Florence Smith1920Centennial
ShelbyClark – Rehme1866Sesquicentennial
ShelbyHarrod1899Centennial
St. JosephBeehler1860Sesquicentennial
UnionBrattain1871Sesquicentennial
VanderburghHenry Schlensker1870Sesquicentennial
VanderburghNiederhaus/Karch1839Sesquicentennial
VigoTryon1844Centennial and Sesquicentennial
WabashChamberlain1920Centennial
WellsSteiner1863Centennial and Sesquicentennial
WhiteJohnson – Barnhart1916Centennial
WhiteMilton & Emma Marshall1917Centennial

Photos from the ceremony will be posted to ISDA’s Flickr page by Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. For more information about the Hoosier Homestead Award program, click here or visit isda.in.gov.