INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 17, 2023) — Recognized for their families’ longstanding commitment to agriculture, 103 Indiana family farms were presented the Hoosier Homestead Award at the Indiana State Fair from Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Don Lamb.

“The Hoosier Homestead ceremony is always a highlight of the Indiana State Fair for me,” said Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “Celebrating these longstanding farming families and their ancestors for their work and commitment to our state and Indiana agriculture is a true honor.”

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.

“Keeping a farm operational for 100 years or more is no simple task,” Lamb said. “Each passing generation has certainly had to adapt and evolve their farming practices and techniques to ensure their farms continued success.”

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.

During the ceremonies, three Indiana farms received the Bicentennial Award for 200 years of continuous ownership: the Craig / Day family from Lawrence County, the Harry Goss Dow & Bessie M. Dow family from Morgan County and the Wise/Hobbs family from Madison County. 

For more information about the Hoosier Homestead Award program, please visit isda.in.gov. Photos from the ceremony are available here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/isda_gov/albums/72177720310559554

The following list includes the August 2023 Hoosier Homestead Award recipients.

 

County - Award Name, Award Year, Award Type

Adams - Kenneth Schueler, 1917, Centennial

Bartholomew - Johnson-Bey, 1900, Centennial

Carroll - McCain, 1858, Centennial & Sesquicentennial 

Cass - Steinberger Frushour Kruck, 1909, Centennial

Clay - Fogel, 1879, Centennial

Clay - Lyon, 1866, Centennial & Sesquicentennial 

Clay - Hofmann (Jeffers Barn), 1867, Centennial & Sesquicentennial 

Clay- Hofmann (Jeffers House), 1867, Centennial & Sesquicentennial 

Clay - Forest A. and Dorothy M. Keiser, 1879, Centennial

Clinton - F.W. Clark Farm, LLC, 1834, Sesquicentennial 

Daviess - Dove, 1888, Centennial

Daviess - Graham, 1841, Sesquicentennial 

Daviess - Paul J. & Mary J. Ryan, 1861, Centennial & Sesquicentennial

Dearborn- Graf-Lingg, 1847, Centennial & Sesquicentennial

Dearborn- Lutz, 1923, Centennial

Dearborn- Stone, 1908, Centennial

Decatur- Henry Cooper, 1923, Centennial

Delaware- Maitlen, 1837, Sesquicentennial 

Dubois- Ring, 1857, Centennial & Sesquicentennial

Dubois- Lange / Wendholt, 1922, Centennial

Dubois- Mann, 1873, Sesquicentennial 

Dubois- Jochem, 1847, Sesquicentennial 

Elkhart- Blue-Moser-Pergrem-Geiger, 1847, Centennial & Sesquicentennial

Fayette- Vaughn, 1890, Centennial

Fountain- Basinger, 1918, Centennial

Franklin- Miles, 1905, Centennial

Franklin- Thompson, 1854, Centennial & Sesquicentennial

Franklin- Bulmer, 1916, Centennial

Franklin- Meier-Bachus, 1889, Centennial

Greene- Ball, 1845, Centennial & Sesquicentennial

Hamilton- Hancock, 1904, Centennial

Hamilton - O'Bryhim, 1835, Sesquicentennial

Hancock - Snodgrass, 1864, Sesquicentennial

Harrison - Glenn and Robert Franks, 1923, Centennial

Harrison- Schoen / Cunningham, 1919, Centennial

Harrison- Yeager, 1873, Sesquicentennial

Hendricks - Walton, 1918, Centennial

Henry - Reddington, 1902, Centennial

Henry - Hernly, 1844, Centennial & Sesquicentennial

Huntington - Schoeff, 1910, Centennial

Jackson - Thomas L. & Ruth A. Hackman, 1910, Centennial

Jackson - Hazard Homeplace, 1886, Centennial

Jackson - Hazard Homeplace West, 1886, Centennial

Johnson - Wild-Henry, 1896, Centennial

Kosciusko - Kolberg, 1899, Centennial

Kosciusko - Jacob Bucher, 1923, Centennial

LaGrange - Wisler, 1872, Sesquicentennial

LaPorte - Kovas, 1920, Centennial

LaPorte - Mrozinski, 1881, Centennial

LaPorte - Fischer, 1923, Centennial

Lawrence  - Craig / Day, 1823, Bicentennial

Lawrence - Stipp, 1923, Centennial

Lawrence - Beal, 1923, Centennial

Madison - Wise / Hobbs, 1823, Sesquicentennial & Bicentennial

Madison - McClintick, Carpenter, Bracken, 1916, Centennial

Madison - Ned A. Craig, 1923, Centennial

Madison - Jarman, 1918, Centennial

Montgomery - Coltrain/McNabb, 1840, Centennial & Sesquicentennial

Montgomery - McBee, 1873, Sesquicentennial

Morgan - Harry Goss Dow & Bessie M. Dow, 1823, Bicentennial

Morgan - Fulford, Jackson, Neal, 1900, Centennial

Morgan - Parker, 1919, Centennial

Morgan - Joanne's Family Farm, 1865, Centennial & Sesquicentennial

Morgan - Hodges, 1894, Centennial

Morgan - Hodges, 1912, Centennial

Parke - Coleman, 1824, Sesquicentennial

Pulaski- McKinney, 1918, Centennial

Pulaski - Knarr, 1873, Sesquicentennial

Putnam - Rissler, 1829, Sesquicentennial

Putnam - Hubert L. McGaughey, 1916, Centennial

Randolph - Edwards, 1887, Centennial

Ripley - Ahrens, 1873, Sesquicentennial

Ripley - Bergman/Engle, 1923, Centennial

Ripley - McNeelan, 1863, Centennial & Sesquicentennial

Rush - Richardson, 1922, Centennial

Shelby - Boring, 1852, Sesquicentennial

Shelby - King, 1917, Centennial

Shelby - Peter J. Lux, 1916, Centennial

Shelby - John Lux, 1880, Centennial

Shelby - Clark - Lux, 1879, Centennial

Shelby - M & N Suits Farms, 1923, Centennial

St. Joseph - Reed, 1853, Sesquicentennial

Starke - Stark, 1916, Centennial

Starke - Marks, 1911, Centennial

Sullivan - Ballentine, 1839, Centennial & Sesquicentennial

Sullivan - Ballentine, 1889, Centennial

Tipton - Off, 1864, Centennial & Sesquicentennial

Tipton - Smith-Fettig, 1837, Centennial

Tipton - Darrow-Fettig, 1840, Centennial & Sesquicentennial

Wabash - Descendants of Edward & Ethel (Cripe) Rautenkranz, 1920, Centennial

Warrick - Kohlmeyer, 1923, Centennial

Warrick - Philip & Debbie (Rauth) Springstun, 1871, Sesquicentennial

Warrick - Ingram, 1848, Centennial & Sesquicentennial

Washington - Temple, 1889, Centennial

Wayne - Kinsinger Farms Inc., 1923, Centennial

Wayne - Myers, 1920, Centennial

Wells - Augustus Reynolds, 1902, Centennial

Wells - Captain, 1900, Centennial

Wells - Graham, 1873, Sesquicentennial

Wells - Meyer, 1910, Centennial

White - Habben, 1881, Centennial

White- Jacob Booher - Philip Booher, 1873, Sesquicentennial

Whitley - Michael D. & Cathy A. Schrader, 1872, Sesquicentennial