Local Farms Honored With Hoosier Homestead Award

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 or produce more than $1,000 of agricultural products per year.

Gookins family. Photo provided.

(Indianapolis, Ind.) – Area legislators recently announced the latest recipients of the Hoosier Homestead Award, which recognizes farms 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. Instituted in 1976, the program recognizes the impact these family farms have made on the economic, cultural and social advancements of Indiana. In the past 40 years, more than 5,800 farms have received the honor.

Represented by State Sen. Chip Perfect (R-Lawrenceburg) and State Reps. Sean Eberhart (R-Shelbyville), Randy Frye (R-Greensburg) and Ryan Lauer (R-Columbus), four locally owned farms were recently honored:

• The Gookins farm in Ripley County received a Centennial Award;
• The Fiesbeck  farm in Bartholomew County received a Centennial Award;
• The Peggy Ann McCoy-Ehlers farm in Ripley County received a Sesquicentennial Award; and
• The Whipker farm in Bartholomew County received a Centennial Award.

"Indiana is the 10th largest farming state in the United States because of farming families like these," Perfect said. "These Hoosiers and others across the state contribute more than $31 billion to our state's economy. I commend this year's recipients for their hard work and determination and wish them all the best."

"Running a farm for over a century is no easy task," Eberhart said. "These families should be proud of reaching this milestone, and our community and state are grateful for their many years of dedication to the agriculture industry."

"These families exemplify Hoosiers' perseverance and willingness to roll up their sleeves and work hard, and they have certainly passed down their strong will and determination from generation to generation," Frye said. "Farmers are some of our most resilient workers, proving time and time again they can overcome difficulties, including challenges we haven't seen before this year."

"Families like these exemplify Indiana's hardworking heritage," Lauer said. "We owe a great deal to those who feed us, and quite honestly, the world. Farmers touch nearly every aspect of our lives, and it's important to acknowledge how much we need and appreciate them."

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.

To learn more about the program or to apply for a Hoosier Homestead Award, visit www.in.gov/isda/2337.htm. Once made available, photos of the event can be found here.