Recognized for their families’ longstanding commitment to agriculture, 103 Indiana farm families were presented the Hoosier Homestead Award at the Indiana State Fair from Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Don Lamb.
“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,” Lamb said. “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.
The following list includes the August 2024 Hoosier Homestead Award recipients.
Adams County
Bohnke, 1897, Centennial
Girod, 1906, Centennial
Kent L. Steiner, 1890, Centennial
Allen County
Dafforn, 1874, Sesquicentennial
Bartholomew County
Schroer, 1886, Centennial
Benton County
Pitts, 1880, Centennial
Pitts, 1911, Centennial
Blackford County
Schwarzkopf, 1872, Sesquicentennial
Albert LeRoy Stallsmith, 1904, Centennial
Carroll County
Boyer-Garrigues, 1923, Centennial
George & Lois Wallace, 1914, Centennial
Cass County
Geroge E. Ferguson, 1858, Sesquicentennial
VerBryck, 1895, Centennial
Clay County
Hofmann (Modesitt), 1881, Centennial
Hofmann (Unger), 1865, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Clinton County
Dean Walker, 1846, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Daviess County
David L. Brown, 1896, Centennial
Joseph L. Disser, 1919, Centennial
Fuhrman, 1918, Centennial
Dearborn County
Murtaugh, 1855, Sesquicentennial
Decatur County
Manlief, 1873, Sesquicentennial
Charles & Mary Torline, 1874, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Delaware County
Abshire, 1864, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
C Clifford Green, 1874, Sesquicentennial
Dubois County
Bartelt-Peters, 1913, Centennial
Bockting, 1839, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Meyer, 1920, Centennial
Fayette County
Thornburg-Caldwell-Slack, 1824, Sesquicentennial & Bicentennial
Franklin County
Kuntz, 1916, Centennial
Miles Homestead Farms LLC, 1874, Sesquicentennial
Wessel, 1858, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Fulton County
Applegate-Crippen-Rock, 1911, Centennial
Heater, 1874, Sesquicentennial
Shewman, 1918, Centennial
Grant County
Grindle, 1852, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Greene County
Roudebush, 1918, Centennial
Hamilton County
Honnold-Muir, 1902, Centennial
Henry County
Kirklin, 1874, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Howard County
Duncan Farm Legacy LLC, 1864, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
J & B Family Farms LLC (53 acre), 1899, Centennial
J & B Family Farms LLC (80 acre), 1849, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Huntington County
Philip Shafer, 1923, Centennial
Jackson County
Bell-Alwes-Mellencamp, 1918, Centennial
Claycamp, 1869, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Shoemaker, 1924, Centennial
Jasper County
Gilmore-Brandenburg, 1895, Centennial
Wilma Jean Lehe, 1922, Centennial
Walter, 1873, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Knox County
Borgmeier, 1904, Centennial
Kosciusko County
Messmore-Werstler, 1923, Centennial
Shock, 1866, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
LaGrange County
Koon-Barroquillo, 1918, Centennial
Madison County
Haines-Wood, 1854, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Sears, 1924, Centennial
Thomas A. Tooley, 1913, Centennial
Marshall County
Stuntz / Bollenbacher, 1869, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Miami County
Berglan, 1874, Sesquicentennial
Peter Fisher-John H. Balsbaugh-Raymond E. Mussleman, 1837, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Gahs, 1874, Sesquicentennial
Patricia Hardwick & Shirley Kerns, 1855, Sesquicentennial
Kranz, 1874, Sesquicentennial
Shewman, 1869, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Montgomery County
Cowan, 1834, Sesquicentennial
Morgan County
Harmon & Nancy Crone, 1836, Sesquicentennial
Haase, 1905, Centennial
Hodges (1840), 1840, Sesquicentennial
Hodges (1822), 1822, Bicentennial
Newton County
Romine, 1874, Sesquicentennial
Noble County
Harvey and Simon, 1862, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Zimmerman, 1919, Centennial
Posey County
Papenmeier, 1923, Centennial
Pulaski County
Bergdolt, 1899, Centennial
Heater, 1872, Sesquicentennial
Putnam County
Bridges-Royer, 1823, Bicentennial
Ripley County
Drockelman, 1860, Sesquicentennial
Miller, 1910, Centennial
Shorten, 1917, Centennial
Smith, 1868, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Wilson, 1923, Centennial
Rush County
Gray-Eakin, 1835, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Dale & Donna Hartwell and Ricky W. Hartwell, 1821, Sesquicentennial & Bicentennial
Shelby County
Bass-Rhodes, 1823, Centennial & Sesquicentennial & Bicentennial
Kolkmeier, 1905, Centennial
Steuben County
Libey, 1920, Centennial
Levi Pocock, 1868, Sesquicentennial
St Joseph County
Michalski, 1887, Centennial
Sullivan County
Shields, 1894, Centennial
Tippecanoe County
James W. Holmes, Jeffrey W. Holmes, Jason M. Davidson (Davidson), 1824, Bicentennial
Inskeep-McDole; Gilbert-Dilley; Tishler-Diem, 1877, Centennial
Tipton County
Meyncke, 1924, Centennial
Union County
Greenmeadow Farm Inc-Caldwell, 1923, Centennial
Vanderburgh County
Friedrich Schaefer, 1869, Sesquicentennial
Vigo County
Chickadaunce, 1913, Centennial
Wabash County
Daihl, 1873, Centennial & Sesquicentennial
Kirtlan, 1924, Centennial
Schuler, 1920, Centennial
Warren County
George K Kerner, 1872, Sesquicentennial
Warrick County
Zint, 1902, Centennial
Wayne County
F. Park Ammerman, 1919, Centennial
Wells County
Price, 1919, Centennial
White County
Diemer, 1895, Centennial
George B. Kilmer, 1916, Centennial
Otto Vieregge, 1915, Centennial