Putnam County farm earns Hoosier Homestead Award

Friday, August 9, 2013
Members of the Michael family of Putnam County pose with the sesquicentennial Hoosier Homestead Award Wednesday at the Indiana State Fair. Family members (from second left) are Betty Q. Smith (cousin of John B. Michael), Decatur, Ill.; Ann B. Michael (sister of John B. Michael), Des Plaines, Ill.; and John B. Michael (award recipient), Greencastle. The award was presented by Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann (right) and Indiana Agriculture Director Gina Sheets.

The Michael family of Putnam County was honored for its more than 150-year commitment to Indiana agriculture Wednesday at the Indiana State Fair.

Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann and Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Gina Sheets presented the Michael family and 57 other Indiana farm families with a Hoosier Homestead Award in recognition of a longstanding involvement in local agriculture.

The Michael farm was established in 1840.

On hand to receive the award were John B. Michael (award recipient), Greencastle; Betty Q. Smith (cousin of John B. Michael), Decatur, Ill.; and Ann B. Michael (sister of John B. Michael), Des Plaines, Ill.

"Today we celebrate the agricultural heritage of our farming families," Lt. Gov. Ellspermann said. "We salute their innovation, their determination, and their dedication which have allowed them to succeed for more than a century -- here's to at least 100 more successful years!"

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.

On Wednesday, 42 families received centennial awards, 14 families, including the Michaels, were recognized with sesquicentennial (150-year) awards, and two families celebrated more than 200 years of Hoosier farming.

"As the practices of agriculture continue to evolve, families like those honored at today's ceremony remind us of the deep cultural roots farming has in our state," Sheets said. "Although business and technology play a significant role in farming, the recipients of the Hoosier Homestead award show us that agriculture is ultimately about family and community."

The Michael family joins more than 5,000 Hoosier Homestead farms recognized since the awards program began in 1976.

Annual recognition ceremonies are held in March (during National Ag Month) and August at the Indiana State Fair.

More than 500 attendees packed the Farm Bureau Auditorium at the State Fair, including family members traveling from as far away as San Antonio and Atlanta.

Attendees ages also spanned 100 years, from newborns to Sylven Gerber of Bluffton who was born on his family's Adams County farm more than 99 years ago.

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