Local farms recognized in ‘Hoosier Homestead’ program

Indianapolis, In. — At the Indiana Statehouse, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) Director Bruce Kettler presented 65 families with a Hoosier Homestead Award in recognition of their commitment to Indiana agriculture.

“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