INDIANAPOLIS (March 15, 2019) — At the Indiana Statehouse, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Bruce Kettler presented 55 families with a Hoosier Homestead Award, recognizing their 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 is very much a family affair, with roughly 97 percent of farms family-owned and operated nationwide,” Crouch said. “For generations, these families have been foundational to the social and economic advancement of Indiana, and recognizing their legacy today was a tremendous honor.”

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, more than 5,500 families have received the award.

“It takes hard work and perseverance to keep a family farm a continued success for so many years,” Kettler said. “This award is a testament to the resiliency of these farmers, as well as their longstanding commitment to Indiana, agriculture and family.”

The following list includes the March 2019 Hoosier Homestead Award recipients.

County

Cert Name

Hoosier Homestead Date

Award

Adams

Jacob & Mary Henschen

1913

Centennial

Allen

Marshall

1855

Sesquicentennial

Bartholomew

Franke - Thompson

1898

Centennial

Bartholomew

Robert & Barbara Pruitt

1919

Centennial

Carroll

Childers

1919

Centennial

Carroll

Carnell - Brown - Stone

1836

Sesquicentennial

Clark

Martin

1907

Centennial

Clark

McKinley/Roberts/Hoke

1877

Centennial

Clark

Richard M. Myers, Sr. & Larry N. Meyers

1848

Sesquicentennial

Clinton

Skiles/Oliver

1908

Centennial

Clinton

Rothenberger

1867

Centennial and Sesquicentennial

Crawford

Sharp - Stephenson - Mohr

1819

Bicentennial

Decatur

Fry

1916

Centennial

Decatur

S&G Seeds, LLC.

1918

Centennial

DeKalb

Widney - Carpenter

1836

Sesquicentennial

Dubois

Jochum

1912

Centennial

Dubois

Rauscher - Thieman*

1838

Centennial and Sesquicentennial

Dubois

Winkenhofer-Thieman*

1841

Centennial and Sesquicentennial

Fayette

Sykes

1845

Centennial and Sesquicentennial

Harrison

Eisenmenger

1869

Sesquicentennial

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