Rep. Karickhoff congratulates local family on long-standing farm
STATEHOUSE - State Representative Mike Karickhoff (R-Kokomo) congratulates the Maple family of Howard County for receiving the Hoosier Homestead Award. The award was presented by Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann in the Farm Bureau Building at the Indiana State Fair.
The Hoosier Homestead Award Program recognizes farming families that have owned and operated the same farm for 100 years or more. Centennial awards were given for 100 years of ownership, while sesquicentennial and bicentennial awards were given for 150 and 200 years of ownership respectively.
The Maple Farm has been in operation since 1914. The family received the centennial award for over 100 years of ownership.
“The Hoosier Homestead Awards provides a great opportunity to recognize families and their dedication to Indiana agriculture,” said Rep. Karickhoff. “These families are essential to growing this invaluable industry in our state as well as strengthening Indiana’s economy.”
In 1976, the Hoosier Homestead Award Program was first established to acknowledge Indiana’s farming families that have made contributions to the economy, culture and the state’s overall advancement. Since the program’s inception, roughly 5,000 farms have been recognized for their dedication to Hoosier agriculture.
“For nearly 40 years, the Hoosier Homestead program has provided a wonderful opportunity for our state to recognize the rich heritage of farming in Indiana and how Hoosier family farms have been passed down from generation to generation,” noted Lt. Governor Ellspermann. “It is even more fitting that we are celebrating the Year of the Farmer at the Indiana State Fair as a way to honor and thank Hoosier farmers for being an integral part of our state’s legacy and future.”
Each year, two award ceremonies are held; one at the Statehouse in February and the other at the Indiana State Fair in August. For more information on the program or to nominate a family for the award, visit www.in.gov/isda/2337.
-30-
State Rep. Mike Karickhoff serves as Budget Subcommittee Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and on the Natural Resources Committee. He is also the chair of the Indiana Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. Rep. Karickhoff represents portions of Howard and Grant counties, most of the city of Kokomo and the towns of Swayzee and Greentown.
NOTE TO THE EDITOR: Pictured above, State Representative Mike Karickhoff (R-Kokomo) joins Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann in congratulating the Maple Family on their centennial Hoosier Homestead Award.
