Southern Indiana Business Report
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana State Department of Agriculture recognized 103 Indiana farm families with the Hoosier Homestead Award at the Indiana State Fair Wednesday.
Seven farms from counties in the Radius Indiana region were recognized:
Daviess County
- David L. Brown, 1896, Centennial
- Joseph L. Disser, 1919, Centennial
- Fuhrman, 1918, Centennial
Dubois County
- Bartelt-Peters, 1913, Centennial
- Bockting, 1839, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
- Meyer, 1920, Centennial
Greene County
- Roudebush, 1918, Centennial
“The Hoosier Homestead ceremony at the Indiana State Fair is a prestigious event for all involved,” said Lt. Gov. Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “It is a true honor to celebrate these families for their work and commitment to bettering 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.
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 something these families can take great pride in,” said Don Lamb ISDA director. “Each of the awarded family farms continues to adapt and evolve through each new generation on the farm to ensure their success.”
Since the program’s inception in 1976, nearly 6,200 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, six Indiana farms received the Bicentennial Award for 200 years of continuous ownership: the Thornburg-Caldwell-Slack family from Fayette County, the Hodges family from Morgan County, the Bridges-Royer family from Putnam County, the Dale & Donna Hartwell and Ricky W. Hartwell family from Rush County, the Bass-Rhodes family from Shelby County and the James W. Holmes, Jeffrey W. Holmes, Jason M. Davidson family from Tippecanoe County.