96 Farming Families Earn Hoosier Homestead Awards

(UNDATED) – Friday at the Indiana State Fair, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Bruce Kettler presented 96 farming families with the Hoosier Homestead Award, setting a new record in the program’s 40-year history.

To be named a Hoosier Homestead, the farm had to be kept in the family for at least 100 consecutive years, and consist of more than 20 acres or produce more than $1,000 in agricultural products per year.

Since the program was established in 1976, more than 5,600 families have received the award.

“The vast majority of farms in Indiana are family-owned and operated,” Crouch said. “They are the foundation we rely on as a society, which is something we must never take for granted. It was an honor to recognize these families at the great Indiana State Fair.”

Families were eligible for three different award distinctions. Based on the age of the farm, they received the Centennial Award for 100 years, Sesquicentennial Award for 150 years or Bicentennial Award for 200 years of ownership.

Notably, the Bicentennial Award was presented to five families during Friday’s ceremony.

“Seeing so many generational farming families all in one place was truly humbling,” Kettler said. “They are the lifeblood of our state, and recognizing their legacy and perseverance today was a tremendous honor.”

The following list includes the 2019 summer Hoosier Homestead Award recipients.

CountyAward NameHomestead DateAward Type
AllenJames & Deborah Roth1919Centennial
BartholomewBurney1918Centennial
BartholomewGuinn1836Sesquicentennial
BartholomewLarry Speaker1908Centennial
BartholomewThayer1854Centennial & Sesquicentennial
BentonRoberts1912Centennial
BooneMcDonald1857Sesquicentennial
BoonePeabody/Batts1908Centennial
CassMills1919Centennial
CassPersonett1902Centennial
CassRichardson – Weideman1844Centennial & Sesquicentennial
CassWilson and Mills1919Centennial
ClayMcCullough1905Centennial
ClayMercer – Summers1918Centennial
ClayPeavey – Wolf1858Sesquicentennial
DaviesCottee1863Centennial & Sesquicentennial
DaviesSingleton – Ward – Barber1869Sesquicentennial
DearbornHopping1816Centennial, Sesquicentennial & Bicentennial
DecaturKirchhoff1919Centennial
DelawareMarion & Alma Russell1919Centennial
DuboisSchuler Temple1901Centennial
DuboisWagner1869Sesquicentennial
ElkhartLutes1910Centennial
ElkhartUmbaugh1874Centennial
FayetteJack & Milah Frost1819Bicentennial
FloydBuechler1906Centennial
FranklinFledderman1918Centennial
FranklinLogan1919Centennial
FranklinSiefert1869Sesquicentennial
GibsonBlock & Dawson1919Centennial
GibsonJohn Boeglin1919Centennial
HamiltonMosbaugh1842Centennial & Sesquicentennial
HancockTroy1901Centennial
HancockWilliam D. Addison & Family1906Centennial
HendricksGarner1858Sesquicentennial
HendricksRoss1831Centennial & Sesquicentennial
HendricksWyeth1919Centennial
HenryFrazier – Chambers – Rifner1851Sesquicentennial
HenryRichey1919Centennial
HowardHite1863Sesquicentennial
HowardHite1903Centennial
HowardKurtz1919Centennial
HowardMcDaniel – Petro1886Centennial
HuntingtonSimon1919Centennial
JacksonBishop1914Centennial
JacksonGoecker (Pfenning)1857Sesquicentennial
JacksonRieckers1852Sesquicentennial
JasperOdom1878Centennial
JasperRoberts1919Centennial
JasperStreitmatter1919Centennial
JasperZimmer – Steinke1910Centennial
JayGreen Acres Family Farm1918Centennial
JenningsElsner1919Centennial
LaGrangeWeaver1866Sesquicentennial
LakeBryant & Dowd1854Sesquicentennial
MadisonHoltzleiter1918Centennial
MarshallNorris1917Centennial
MarshallStanley Weiss1888Centennial
MiamiButt1888Centennial
MiamiButt1915Centennial
MiamiKunkle1908Centennial
MontgomeryMyers – Fruits1918Centennial
MorganBarbara J. & Neal W. Harder1868Sesquicentennial
NobleWilkinson1919Centennial
NobleRiddle1866Centennial & Sesquicentennial
NobleShultz1919Centennial
OwenBarton1863Sesquicentennial
ParkeClarence & Gladys Pyle Family1919Centennial
ParkeSummers1912Centennial
PoseyHappe – Winiger1917Centennial
PoseyVernon F. Blankenberger1919Centennial
PulaskiKline1851Centennial & Sesquicentennial
RandolphRaymond K. Miller1917Centennial
RandolphRunner1918Centennial
RipleyNarwold1866Sesquicentennial
RipleyNaylor1846Sesquicentennial
RipleyObendorf1865Sesquicentennial
RipleyOtte/Webster1866Sesquicentennial
RushMahan1918Centennial
ScottSmith1817Sesquicentennial & Bicentennial
SpencerMehling1919Centennial
SpencerPatmore1919Centennial
SteubenPfafman1919Centennial
SullivanPeterson1853Centennial & Sesquicentennial
SullivanWallace1844Centennial & Sesquicentennial
SwitzerlandHall1908Centennial
TippecanoeKlutzke1916Centennial
VigoBarbour Family LLC1819Centennial, Sesquicentennial & Bicentennial
VigoFitzpatrick1858Sesquicentennial
WabashFloor1918Centennial
WabashSchenkel1882Centennial
WarrenMorgan1908Centennial
WarrenSt. John – Huber1907Centennial
WayneGlass1918Centennial
WayneRussell Allen Brower1819Centennial, Sesquicentennial & Bicentennial
WhitleyFay Conrad1919Centennial