Yesterday at the Indiana Statehouse, Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann and Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Ted McKinney presented 63 families with a Hoosier Homestead Award in recognition of their commitment to Indiana agriculture.

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 in agricultural products per year. The award distinctions are Centennial, Sesquicentennial and Bicentennial. One family was honored with the Bicentennial Award.

“The Hoosier Homestead Awards provide the opportunity to salute Indiana’s rich agricultural heritage by honoring those Hoosiers whose farms have contributed to Indiana’s economy and local communities for over 100 years,” said Lt. Governor Ellspermann. “We are proud to celebrate both the farms and the families that have continued to make Indiana a leader in agriculture.”

“The families celebrated here today remind us of what makes Indiana agriculture great,” Director McKinney said. “The Hoosier Homestead Award not only celebrates dedicated families working in Indiana agriculture, but also about preserving a way of life that values hard work, integrity and community.”

The 63 families honored at today’s ceremony join more than 5,000 Hoosier Homestead farms.

Administered by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, the semiannual Hoosier Homestead ceremonies are held in March during National Agriculture Month at the Indiana Statehouse and in August at the Indiana State Fair.

Two farms from Kosciusko County were honored: Maple Shade Farms and Arthur Gilbert’s farm. The full list of award recipients appears below.