Farm families receive Hoosier Homestead Award

INDIANAPOLIS — Fifty-six farm families received the Hoosier Homestead Award this year in recognition of their commitment to Indiana agriculture.

Two of the farms received the Bicentennial Award for 200 years of continuous ownership: the Hamilton Batterton family and the McCoy family, both from Decatur County.

“Each year, I look forward to honoring these longstanding farming families during the Hoosier Homestead ceremonies,” said Don Lamb, Indiana State Department of Agriculture director.

“I know firsthand the amount of hard work and grit required to ensure a family remains in the same family for 100 years or more. I commend each of this year’s awardees and thank them for their dedication to Indiana and our agriculture industry.”

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.

If less than 20 acres, the farm must produce more than $1,000 of agricultural products per year.

Since the program’s inception in 1976, over 6,200 families have received the Hoosier Homestead Award.