Briana Pace | Southern Indiana Business Report
Seven family farms received the Hoosier Homestead Award across the Radius Indiana region, recognizing their longevity in the state and dedication to the land.
Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith and Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Don Lamb presented a total of 135 awards to family farms across the state at the Indiana State Fair on August 19.
“Indiana’s heritage is built on agriculture,” Beckwith said in a press release.
“Each of our Hoosier Homestead farms carries the same legacy, built by one generation for the next,” Lamb said in a press release.
To be recognized as a Hoosier Homestead, farms must be owned by the same family for over 100 consecutive years and consist of 20 acres. If not 20 acres, the farm must produce more than $1,000 of agricultural products each year.
The awards were divided into three categories: centennial for 100 years, sesquicentennial for 150 years and bicentennial for 200 years.
“The more the world changes, the more valuable having continuity and a sense of who you are, is,” Jeff Kavanaugh, part of the Hoosier Homestead awardee, Kavanaugh-Eichmiller Farm, said.
Steve Kavanaugh, Paul Eichmiller and Jeff Kavanaugh receive the Centennial Hoosier Homestead Award during the Indiana State Fair on Aug. 19, 2026, at the fairgrounds in Indianapolis. The Kavanaugh-Eichmiller farm was established in 1881. Photo courtesy of Jeff Kavanaugh
Kavanaugh-Eichmiller Farm in Daviess County received the Centennial Award, dating its origins back to 1881. To Jeff Kavanaugh, the recognition is valuable. He hopes that in the future the family can look back at it and realize the history of the land.
“There were people that came before and they did some pretty interesting things,” Jeff said. “They came over, across the ocean; they set something up that didn’t exist. They cared for it.”
The Kavanaugh-Eichmiller farm harvests plants and, according to Jeff, for decades the surrounding community would get their produce from the farm garden. The family grows row crops like popcorn and soybeans, in addition to maintaining a large garden.
In Lawrence County, the Beeler Farm also received the Centennial Award, recognizing its establishment in 1908. Today, the Beelers raise cattle and hay.
Randy Beeler’s great-grandparents started the farm nearly 120 years ago and since then, someone from the family has always lived on the property.
“I think I speak for all of us— it’s definitely a sense of pride that we are carrying on something that was established by ancestors,” Debbie Beeler, Randy Beeler’s wife, said.
The Mann family, the Beelers’ ancestors, pose for a photo in the early 1900s. Debbie Beeler said the child on the right is Harriet Mann Brown, Randy Beeler’s grandmother. Photo courtesy of Debbie Beeler
As the fifth and sixth generations of the farm grow, the Beelers have taken steps to ensure it remains in the family. A few years ago, they put the farm in a trust, providing the younger generations a chance to own their own piece of the property when they are older.
“We’re all very sentimental about the land and what we’re continuing to carry on,” Debbie said.
The Beeler family poses for a photo after being presented with the Conservation Farmer Award in February 2026, in Indiana. The award was given by the Lawrence County Soil and Water Conservation district. Photo courtesy of Debbie Beeler
The Hoosier Homestead Award was created in 1976 and over the past 50 years, more than 6,400 families have received the recognition.
Other family farms in the Radius Indiana region that received the Centennial Award include the Rahmans in Dubois County and the Waltons in Lawrence County.
For the Sesquicentennial Award, three in the region were recognized —John L. Hurst in Washington County, Feldmeyer-Meyers in Dubois County and Meyers in Dubois County.
“I think this award and what the state of Indiana does— it’s a really good service,” Jeff said. “Indiana is not a flyover state. I think it’s got a great story.”