Local farms honored at the Statehouse
Area legislators today announced the latest recipients of the Hoosier Homestead Award, which recognizes farms that have been owned and maintained by the same family for 100 years or more.
The Hoosier Homestead Award Program honors families who have made significant contributions to Indiana agriculture. The program, instituted in 1976, recognizes the impact these family farms have made to the economic, cultural, and social advancements of Indiana. Within the past 45 years, more than 5,800 farms have received the honor.
Represented by State Sen. Mark Messmer (R-Jasper) and State Reps. Steve Bartels (R-Eckerty), Cindy Ledbetter (R-Newburgh), and Shane Lindauer (R-Jasper), four locally owned farms were honored at the Statehouse.
- The Collins farm in Spencer County received a Centennial Award;
- The Huppert-Geiss farm in Spencer County received Centennial and Sesquicentennial awards;
- The Oscar Hochgesang farm in Dubois County received a Centennial Award; and
- The Stenftenagel farm in Dubois County received a Centennial Award.
To be named a Hoosier Homestead, farms must be owned by the same family for at least 100 consecutive years and consist of more than 20 acres or produce more than $1,000 of agricultural products per year. The award distinctions are Centennial, Sesquicentennial and Bicentennial – for 100, 150 and 200 years respectively.
Two Hoosier Homestead award ceremonies are held each year – one at the Statehouse in April and one at the State Fair in August. To learn more about the program or to apply for a Hoosier Homestead award, visit www.in.gov/isda/2337.htm