Longtime farming families honored at State Fair

Photos added

INDIANAPOLIS - At the Indiana State Fair Friday (Aug. 11), Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) Director Ted McKinney and ISDA Deputy Director Melissa Rekeweg presented 72 families with a Hoosier Homestead Award in recognition of their commitment to Indiana agriculture.

Among them were three farms from Pulaski County.

 

ISDA Director Ted McKinney and Deputy Director Melissa Rekeweg (left) present Hoosier Homestead Award to the Louis Tieman Farm (1900 - Winamac).
State Rep. Doug Gutwein (left), along with ISDA Director Ted McKinney and Deputy Director Melissa Rekeweg (right), present Hoosier Homestead Award to the Glen-Ray-Den Farm (1879 - Winamac).
State Rep. Doug Gutwein (left), along with ISDA Director Ted McKinney and Deputy Director Melissa Rekeweg (right), present Hoosier Homestead Award to the Needham House Farms (1887 - Winamac).

"Our state's legacy has been shaped by our farming families, who continue to pass down their traditions and values from one generation to the next," said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, who also serves as Indiana's Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. "I would like to congratulate each and every family on receiving this prestigious 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. The award distinctions recognized are Centennial (100 years), Sesquicentennial (150 years) and Bicentennial (200 years).

“There’s a certain reverence when it comes to generational farming in Indiana – it's a way of life,” said Ted McKinney. "These families produce the food, fuel and fiber we need to go about our daily lives, and it's important to recognize those that have been carrying on this noble and vital tradition."

The families honored Friday join more than 5,000 Hoosier Homestead farms. Administered by ISDA and currently in its 41st year, semiannual recognition ceremonies are held in the spring at the Indiana Statehouse and in August at the Indiana State Fair.

Below is a list of the Hoosier Homestead Award recipients honored during the August 2017 ceremony:

 

Farm County

Award Name

Homestead Date

Type of Award

Adams

Floyd Ehlerding

1851

Sesquicentennial

Adams

Hockemeyer/Everett

1845

Sesquicentennial

Allen

Berning

1827

Centennial

Allen

Berning

1827

Sesquicentennial

Allen

Fuhrmann

1917

Centennial

Allen

Lilly

1917

Centennial

Allen

Grotrian

1917

Centennial

Allen

Springer

1867

Sesquicentennial

Allen

Stahlhut

1905

Centennial

Bartholomew

Andrews

1894

Centennial

Bartholomew

Jeffrey & Cynthia Shoaf

1902

Centennial

Bartholomew

Voelz Family

1875

Centennial

Boone

Artman Farms Inc.

1866

Sesquicentennial

Boone

Sipe - Cragun - Kissel

1899

Centennial

Boone

Canine

1902

Centennial

Carroll

Armstrong

1916

Centennial

Carroll

Thomas Bitler Armstrong

1850

Sesquicentennial

Carroll

Blaine & Brenda Brubaker

1832

Centennial

Carroll

Blaine & Brenda Brubaker

1832

Sesquicentennial

Carroll

Brubaker

1827

Sesquicentennial

Carroll

Brubaker - Kingery

1827

Sesquicentennial

Carroll

Childers

1889

Centennial

Cass

Donna Davidson Buchanan Christiansen

1840

Centennial

Cass

Donna Davidson Buchanan Christiansen

1840

Sesquicentennial

Cass

Gremelspacher

1864

Centennial

Cass

Gremelspacher

1864

Sesquicentennial

Cass

Chambers/Laird

1857

Centennial

Cass

Chambers/Laird

1857

Sesquicentennial

Cass

Sandra Davidson Buchanan Shaw

1840

Centennial

Cass

Sandra Davidson Buchanan Shaw

1840

Sesquicentennial

Clinton

Silverthorn

1864

Sesquicentennial

Crawford

Benz

1891

Centennial

Crawford

Gresham

1876

Centennial

Decatur

Porter

1880

Centennial

Decatur

Forster - Mahan

1907

Centennial

Decatur

Mang

1917

Centennial

Decatur/Jennings

Hamilton

1902

Centennial

DeKalb

Jeffrey D. & Tina A. Johnson

1902

Centennial

DeKalb

Kummer - Weicht, LLC

1917

Centennial

Dubois

Goeppner

1914

Centennial

Dubois

Vonderheide

1899

Centennial

Franklin

Stirn

1899

Centennial

Franklin

Hofer - Wendel

1917

Centennial

Hamilton

Hillock

1902

Centennial

Hancock

Braddock

1907

Centennial

Harrison

LaHue - Schellenberger

1916

Centennial

Howard

Kendall

1847

Centennial

Howard

Kendall

1847

Sesquicentennial

Howard

Kerby/Moss

1892

Centennial

Howard

Riley

1904

Centennial

Jay

Young

1917

Centennial

Kosciusko

Carl & Edythe Sands

1917

Centennial

LaPorte

Hostetler - Stutzman

1884

Centennial

Lawrence

Whitted Farm

1844

Sesquicentennial

Madison

Canfield

1913

Centennial

Miami

Houlihan - Mitchell

1916

Centennial

Newton

Blann

1917

Centennial

Newton

Blann Warrick

1917

Centennial

Noble

Piper/McLallin

1869

Centennial

Pike

Robling Farms, Inc.

1852

Sesquicentennial

Posey

Scherer

1894

Centennial

Posey

Elwood Williams Farms

1886

Centennial

Posey

Pearl Yeida Hughes

1894

Centennial

Pulaski

Louis Tieman

1900

Centennial

Pulaski

Glen - Ray - Den Farm

1879

Centennial

Pulaski

Needham House Farms

1887

Centennial

Putnam

Smith

1910

Centennial

Randolph

Duane Barr

1866

Sesquicentennial

Ripley

Richter

1913

Centennial

Ripley

Tielking/Sellers Homestead 

1957

Sesquicentennial

Shelby

Cuskaden

1880

Centennial

Shelby

Cuskaden/Bausback

1916

Centennial

Shelby

Phil & Cindy Ramsey

1867

Sesquicentennial

Starke

Will

1915

Centennial

Switzerland

Althoff

1896

Centennial

Tipton

Colbert Family Farm

1917

Centennial

Tipton

Cardwell - Etherington - Chase - Garhart

1873

Centennial

Vanderburgh

Schauss

1906

Centennial

Wells

Jerry Nusbaumer

1865

Sesquicentennial

White

Burns

1886

Centennial

White

Burns/Diemer

1895

Centennial

White

Ploss

1899

Centennial

 

For more information about the Hoosier Homestead Awards, please visit www.isda.in.gov.

 

ABOUT ISDA 

The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) was established as a separate state agency by the Legislature in 2005. The Director is appointed by the Governor and is a member of the Governor’s Cabinet. Administratively, ISDA reports to Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, who also serves as Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. Major responsibilities include advocacy for Indiana agriculture at the local, state and federal level, managing soil conservation programs, promoting economic development and agricultural innovation, serving as a regulatory ombudsman for agricultural businesses, and licensing grain firms throughout the state.