INDIANAPOLIS — Recognized for their families’ longstanding commitment to agriculture, 106 Indiana family farms were presented the Hoosier Homestead Award on August 17, 2022at the Indiana State Fair from Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Bruce Kettler.
“Recognizing and engaging Indiana’s historic farming families with Hoosier Homestead awards at the Indiana State Fair is an honor for me each year,” said Crouch, who is Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “The hard work, consistency and longstanding values within these families is inspirational. These families and their farms are securing a strong future for many generations to come.”
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.
Based on the age of the farm, families are eligible for three different distinctions of the Hoosier Homestead Award. They can receive the Centennial Award for 100 years, Sesquicentennial Award for 150 years or Bicentennial Award for 200 years of ownership.
“Since the formation of these farms, these families have provided for their communities, our state and the Indiana agriculture industry. It is hard to put into words the value and impact these family farms have on Hoosier agriculture as a whole,” Kettler said. “It is my utmost pleasure to recognize these record number of longstanding families for their hard work in providing the food, fuel and fiber necessary to sustain our state.”
Since the program’s inception in 1976, over 6,100 families have received the award. Often, a Hoosier Homestead farm is easily recognized because most recipients proudly display their awarded sign on their property.
For this ceremony four Indiana farms received the Bicentennial Award for 200 years of continuous ownership. They include, the Speer family farm from Jennings county, the Hartman family farm from Parke county and the Layton Acres, Inc. family farm and the Logan family farm, both from Rush county.
The following list includes the August 2022 Hoosier Homestead Award recipients.
County, Award Name, Award Year, Award Type
Adams, Braun, 1880, Centennial
Allen, Dafforn, 1874, Centennial
Allen, Doctor, 1872, Sesquicentennial
Allen, Fulk, 1861, Sesquicentennial
Allen, Hille, 1875, Centennial
Allen, Kurtz, 1872, Sesquicentennial
Allen, Matthias, 1860, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Allen, Wiegman, 1860, Sesquicentennial
Bartholomew, Bolte, 1881, Centennial
Bartholomew, Mckinney, 1883, Centennial
Benton, Keller-Quigg-Moyars, 1865, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Boone, Laughner/Hancock, 1862, Sesquicentennial
Cass, Binney, 1921, Centennial
Cass, Scherer, 1862, Sesquicentennial
Clark, Raymond & Viola Schafer, 1922, Centennial
Clay, Jones, 1870, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Clay, Killion, 1830, Sesquicentennial
Clay, Milligan, Brown & Thomas, 1863, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Clinton, Carter, 1905, Centennial
Clinton, Mohler, 1922, Centennial
Daviess, Arvin/Bradley, 1906, Centennial
Daviess, Mathies, 1919, Centennial
Dearborn, Robert & Anna Frey, 1917, Centennial
Decatur, Clark, 1919, Centennial
Decatur, Fischmer, 1921, Centennial
Decatur, Norman Burkhart, 1920, Centennial
Decatur, Sefton, 1922, Centennial
DeKalb, Creager, 1861, Sesquicentennial
DeKalb, Dermott, 1889, Centennial
DeKalb, Schrader, 1907, Centennial
Delaware, Evans, 1896, Centennial
Dubois, Hopf, 1920, Centennial
Dubois, Glenn Menke, 1872, Sesquicentennial
Dubois, Melvin Menke, 1872, Sesquicentennial
Dubois, Verkamp, 1871, Sesquicentennial
Dubois, Weyer, 1870, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Fulton, Burton, 1919, Centennial
Fulton, Wagoner-Tobey-Eizinger, 1920, Centennial
Fulton, Walsh, 1898, Centennial
Grant, Wright, 1839, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Greene, Calvert/Murdock, 1919, Centennial
Hamilton, Curfman, 1903, Centennial
Hamilton, Chris & Heather Knapp, 1906, Centennial
Hamilton, Donald E. Knapp, 1906, Centennial
Hamilton, Fred Knapp, 1906, Centennial
Hamilton, Ronald & Patricia Knapp Brockett, 1906, Centennial
Hancock, Deerburg, 1869, Sesquicentennial
Harrison, Richmer, 1847, Sesquicentennial
Hendricks, Leak, 1863, Sesquicentennial
Howard, Farwick-Williams, 1914, Centennial
Howard, Hollingsworth-Newlin, 1898, Centennial
Jackson, Mellenbrunch/Otte/Rieker, 1847, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Jackson, Meyer-Borgman, 1866, Sesquicentennial
Jackson, Siefker, 1848, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Jefferson, Storm-Spencer, 1845, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Jennings, Speer, 1820, Centennial, Sesquicentennial & Bicentennial
Johnson, B&G LaGrange, Inc., 1835, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
LaPorte, Lachner, 1922, Centennial
LaPorte, Maerz-Kloss, 1884, Centennial
LaPorte, Mark, 1881, Centennial
LaPorte, Sullivan, 1868, Sesquicentennial
Marshall, Redman, 1920, Centennial
Martin, Keller & Hewitt, 1881, Centennial
Morgan, Brown, 1837, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Morgan, Brown, 1886, Centennial
Morgan, Harry Goss & Bessie M. Dow, 1823, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Morgan, Jackson, 1846, Sesquicentennial
Morgan, Luther & Jessie Pruitt, 1922, Centennial
Morgan, Pearcy – Burns – Cook, 1905, Centennial
Morgan, Pearcy – Burns – Cook, 1905, Centennial
Morgan, Pearcy-Burns-Cook-Stephany, 1918, Centennial
Morgan, Stierwalt, 1856, Sesquicentennial
Parke, Hartman, 1822, Centennial, Sesquicentennial & Bicentennial
Parke, Mabel Thompson, 1877, Centennial
Porter, John Dick & Pollaro, 1901, Centennial
Pulaski, Brucker, 1922, Centennial
Pulaski, Hartmann, 1890, Centennial
Randolph, Fraizer, 1872, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Ripley, Ahrens, 1873, Centennial
Rush, Cole, 1922, Centennial
Rush, Layton Acres, Inc., 1822, Sesquicentennial & Bicentennial
Rush, Logan, 1821, Bicentennial
Shelby, G. Wayne and Freda Eck, 1866, Sesquicentennial
St. Joseph , Andert, 1921, Centennial
St. Joseph, Cordray, 1872, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
St. Joseph, Verhaeghe, 1922, Centennial
St. Joseph, Widler, 1922, Centennial
Starke, Bortell, 1919, Centennial
Starke, Siedentop, 1922, Centennial
Tippecanoe, Inskeep-McDole,Dilley-Gilbert,Diem-Tishler, 1910, Centennial
Union, Snyder, 1891, Centennial
Vanderburgh, Martin, 1858, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Vigo, McLaughlin/LaDue, 1854, Sesquicentennial
Wabash, Beauchamp & Ulrey, 1872, Sesquicentennial
Wabash, Winkler, 1845, Sesquicentennial
Warren, Frasch, 1864, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Warren, Mary Beth (Dysert) Brubaker, 1855, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Warren, Mehaffey Farms, 1881, Centennial
Warren, Pusey McCloud, 1854, Sesquicentennial
Warrick, Kroeger-Suscott, 1862, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Washington, Hoar, 1829, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Washington, Walter L. Grimes, Scott R. & Linda Grimes Martin, 1869, Sesquicentennial
Wells, Captain, 1917, Centennial
Wells, Minnich, 1860, Sesquicentennial
White, Fry-Nice-Cosgray, 1881, Centennial
White, Moore, 1896, Centennial
SOURCE: News release from Indiana Department of Agriculture