Simmermaker Farm earns Hoosier Homestead Award

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Published: Wednesday, 19 August 2015 15:38

INDIANAPOLIS - During the celebration of the Year of the Farmer at the Indiana State Fair, Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann and Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Ted McKinney presented 67 families with a Hoosier Homestead Award in recognition of their commitment to Indiana agriculture.

Among them was the Simmermaker family of Pulaski County

Hoosier Homestead: The Simmermaker Family of Pulaski County was among 67 families presented with a Hoosier Homestead Award at the Indiana State Fair in August. Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann and Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Ted McKinney presented the awards to each family in recognition of their commitment to Indiana agriculture. John and Janet Simmermaker (front center) and family members are joined by Rep. Doug Gutwein (left) and Lt. Gov. Ellspermann and McKinney (right) at the Hoosier Homestead Awards ceremony.

The Simmermaker Farm was established in 1915 and received the centennial award for over 100 years of ownership.

“The Simmermaker family should be very proud of this accomplishment, and we are fortunate to have them in our community,” said Rep. Doug Gutwein who attended the ceremony. “Agriculture is critical to our state and local economies, especially in Northwest Indiana, and it is because of their dedication that this industry continues to thrive and grow.”

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. 

“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. Gov. 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 67 families honored at the Aug. 14 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.

For more information on the Hoosier Homestead Award Program or to nominate a family for the award, visit www.in.gov/isda/2337.