“Indiana agriculture keeps our economy thriving, and each year we are reminded of how rich our history is by the long list of award recipients,” Crouch said. “Because we have such a thriving farming community, Indiana is at the top of the nation for production and these long-standing farms keep us moving forward.”
To be named a Hoosier Homestead, farms must be owned by the same family for more than 100 consecutive years, and consist of more than 20 acres or produce more than $1000 of agricultural products per year. Indiana farms may qualify for three honors: Centennial Award for 100 years of ownership, Sesquicentennial Award for 150 years of ownership and the Bicentennial Award for 200 years of ownership.
Since the program’s inception in 1976, more than 5,000 families have received the Hoosier Homestead Award.
“For more than a century, these farming families have been providing Hoosiers and Americans with the food, fuel and fiber they need for their everyday lives,” Kettler said. “Each generation has learned to adapt and evaluate how to keep their farm successful with changing times and technology. It was an honor to celebrate them at the Statehouse.”
Below is a list of the Hoosier Homestead Award recipients honored during the spring 2018 ceremony:
Farm County
Award Name
Homestead
Date
Type of Award
Allen
Van Horn
1911
Centennial
Carroll
Mills
1861
Sesquicentennial
Carroll
Reiff
1918
Centennial
Clinton
Bradburn-Strain-Ceo
1895
Centennial
Daviess
Ryan
1867
Sesquicentennial
Decatur
William S. Emly
1837
Sesquicentennial
Decatur
The Oesterling Homestead
1909
Centennial
DeKalb
Hook
1848
Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Dubois
Merkel
1885
Centennial
Dubois
Schroeder
1845
Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Elkhart
Cobb Family Farm
1909
Centennial
Fountain
Thomas
1918
Centennial
Franklin
Rosfeld
1855
Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Franklin
Meyer Family Farm
1867
Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Franklin
Kolb
1917
Centennial
Fulton
Hendrickson
1900
Centennial
Fulton
Walters-Duffey
1904
Centennial
Gibson
Kennedy Hill Farm
1865
Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Grant
King
1878
Centennial
Hamilton
Marion E. House Farms, Inc.
1917
Centennial
Howard
Schafer/Gingerich
1865
Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Howard
Hollingsworth
1853
Sesquicentennial
Huntington
Hosler
1906
Centennial
Huntington
Killen
1918
Centennial
Jackson
Tape Family
1863
Centennial
Jay
Hutchens
1861
Sesquicentennial
Jennings
Funke
1867
Sesquicentennial
Kosciusko
Waldbeser
1906
Centennial
Lake
Huseman
1883
Centennial
LaPorte
Brooks – Bartmess
1860
Sesquicentennial
LaPorte
Lloyd & Helen Steinke
1855
Sesquicentennial
Madison
Wright
1917
Centennial
Marshall
Motz Family Farm
1915
Centennial
Marshall
John Gibson
1851
Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Miami
Kendall
1862
Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Montgomery
Oppy
1898
Centennial
Parke
Wilkey
1872
Centennial
Pulaski
Christensen
1867
Sesquicentennial
Pulaski
Westphal
1915
Centennial
Putnam
Kenneth Wayne Mason
1882
Centennial
Randolph
Hobson
1917
Centennial
Randolph
The Huffman Family Farm
1918
Centennial
Ripley
Timke
1888
Centennial
Ripley
Crum
1868
Sesquicentennial
Ripley
Kohlman
1867
Sesquicentennial
Ripley
Huber
1867
Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Rush
Francis Graham Farms Inc.
1846
Sesquicentennial
Shelby
Linville
1911
Centennial
Shelby
Dake
1918
Centennial
Spencer
Lee
1855
Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Spencer
Singer/Scott
1918
Centennial
Steuben
Sugar Grove Farm
1913
Centennial
Switzerland
Crandell
1908
Centennial
Switzerland
Romerill
1917
Centennial
Tippecanoe
Claude, Harold, & Ruth Boesch
1917
Centennial
Tipton
Leisure
1907
Centennial
Union
Gavin-Beck Family Homestead
1823
Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Wabash
Swihart Long
1907
Centennial
Wabash
Walters-Duffey
1888
Centennial
Wabash
Walters-Duffey
1915
Centennial
Wabash
Merrick
1835
Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Warren
Andrews
1907
Centennial
Warren
Inez F. McDermond
1904
Centennial
Wells
Laymon
1918
Centennial
Whitley
Kerch
1853
Centennial & Sesquicentennia
For more information about the Hoosier Homestead Award program, please visit www.isda.in.gov. Photos from today’s ceremony will be posted to ISDA’s Flickr page by Wednesday, March 28, 2018.