INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — With the Indiana Statehouse south atrium packed full of proud Hoosier farm families, Lt. Governor Becky Skillman and Indiana Agriculture Director Joe Kelsay honored the heritage of 43 families during the Hoosier Homestead award ceremony on March 22.

“This is a real day of pride for these farm families, but the message goes way beyond the farm,” said Skillman. “To see the perseverance and imagine the challenges to overcome in order to keep the farm in the same family for 100, 150 and even 200 years is incredible.”

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 at least $1,000 worth of agricultural products per year. The award was created to recognize the contributions these family farms have made to the economic, cultural and social advancements of Indiana.

“This is a celebration in order to honor the heritage of Indiana farm families and the connection that Hoosiers have to the land,” said Kelsay. “This award honors generations after generations of families who have worked hard, many overcoming challenges and hardship along the way to keep the farm in the family.”

Of the 43 Hoosier Homestead recipients, the Matthews family, of Jefferson County received the rare Bicentennial Award for keeping the farm in the family for more than 200 years, 18 received the Sesquicentennial Award for more than 150 years and 24 received the Centennial Award for more than 100 years. 

“This is a good thing for families, too – to see the youngest to the oldest come together to celebrate the past and talk about the future,” said Kelsay, who mentioned that his family’s farm - Kelsay Farms - is also a past recipient of the Hoosier Homestead award and will celebrate its 175th year this summer.

Award recipients include (alphabetized by county) from Adams County, the Johnson and Marbach families both receiving the Centennial award; from Bartholomew County, the John W. Thayer family receiving a Sesquicentennial award; from Carroll County, the Thomson Farm family receiving the Sesquicentennial award; from Cass County, the Anderson and Myers families both receiving the Centennial award; the Scherb family from Clay County receiving the Sesquicentennial award; the Main-Pond-Greathouse family from Crawford County receiving the Centennial award; the Shuter family from Dearborn County receiving the Centennial award; the Berkemeier and Hart families from Decatur County receiving the Sesquicentennial award; the Elshoff and John and Nancy Laake families, of Dubois County receiving the Sesquicentennial award; the Forrer-Wyant family receiving the Centennial award from Hamilton County; the Charles Titus family from Hancock County receiving the Centennial award; the Gunther, family from Harrison County receiving the Sesquicentennial award; the Shields and Stanley Miller families, of Harrison County, both receiving the Centennial award; the Godfrey family, of Howard County receiving the Centennial award; from Jackson County, the Weddell, Buhner/Darlage/Wischmeier families all received the Sesquicentennial award; from Jasper County, the family of John and Mary Wuethrich received the Centennial award; from Jennings County, the Anthers/Blair family received the Sesquicentennial award; the Williams/Mitchell/Dillman family, of Lawrence County received the Sesquicentennial award; the David Young, Sr. family of Monroe County received the Sesquicentennial award; the Gerrish family of Parke County received the Centennial award; Leonard Farms and the Plotner-Peter family, of Pulaski County received the Centennial and Sesquicentennial award, respectively; the Sumwalt family, of Randolph County received the Centennial award; the Davis and Scholle families, of Ripley County both received the Centennial award; the Kimmick family, of Scott County received the Centennial award; the Pitts family from Shelby County received the Centennial award; the Leo J. Tretter family, of Spencer County received the Sesquicentennial award; the Flesher family, of Sullivan County received the Centennial award; the James Vanness family of Tipton County received the Centennial award; Burnett Farm of Vigo County received the Centennial award; the Banister, Donaldson, Vrem family, of Wabash County received the Sesquicentennial award; the White family, of Warren County received the Sesquicentennial award and the John B. Gilbert family, of Wells County received the Centennial award. During the award ceremony, both the Marbach family and the Buhner/Darlage/Wischmeier family received two awards for multiple farms owned within the family.

According to Kelsay, the Hoosier Homestead program was instituted in 1976 and more than 5,000 farms have received the distinguished honor.

There are two Hoosier Homestead Ceremonies each year. One is at the Statehouse in February and the other is during the State Fair in August. 

The deadline to apply is two month prior, therefore; for the February ceremony the deadline is Dec. 1 and for the August ceremony the deadline is June 1.

For more information or to apply, visit the Indiana State Department of Agriculture website at www.in.gov/isda