59 Indiana Farm Families Honored with Hoosier Homestead Award from ISDA

Recognized for their families’ farm legacies and longstanding commitment to agriculture, 59 Indiana family farms were presented the Hoosier Homestead Award at the Indiana Statehouse on Friday from Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) Director Don Lamb.

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. If less than 20 acres, the farm must produce more than $1,000 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, over 6,100 families have received the Hoosier Homestead Award. Many past awardees can be identified by the sign proudly displayed in front of the family farm or field.

During the ceremonies, two Indiana farms received the Bicentennial Award for 200 years of continuous ownership: the Dorton family from Harrison County and the Coleman family from Parke County.

“These long-standing Hoosier farming families are the backbone of our state’s rich agricultural history,” said Crouch, who also serves at Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “They have dedicated their lives to supporting our strong agricultural economy, and it was a pleasure to honor them today.”

“Honoring over 50 farming families today was a unique look into Indiana’s rich past, especially when celebrating two bicentennial awards,” said Lamb. “Thinking of how much agriculture, and our whole world, has changed in the last 200 years was an incredible thought and we are so thankful to these farming families for remaining committed to agriculture production.”

Below is the full list of the Hoosier Homestead Award recipients honored during the Spring 2024 ceremony:

For more information about the Hoosier Homestead Award program, please visit isda.in.gov.

Click HERE to see the photos taken during the Hoosier Homestead Award ceremony at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Source: Indiana Department of Agriculture.