To be named a Hoosier Homestead, farms must be owned by the same family for more than 100 consecutive years, and consist of 20 acres or more, or produce more than $1,000 in agricultural products per year. Since the program's inception in 1976, more than 5,500 families have received the award.
On March 18, members of Indiana’s Family of Farmers, which is a coalition of more than a dozen agriculture-related organizations, joined together at the Statehouse to celebrate National Agriculture Day in Indiana. Along with recognizing the importance of agriculture, economically and socially, the event included special guests, like Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and ISDA Director Bruce Kettler, recognition of the 2019 IFoF Essay Contest winners and the announcement of this year’s Featured Farmers, presented by Corteva Agriscience.
Essay Contest Winners
One of the highlights of the ceremony was honoring the winners of the IFoF essay contest, themed Agriculture: Food for Life. The essay challenged students in grades 4-6 to think critically about the important role agriculture plays in their lives, as well as the lives of those around them. Out of dozens of essays received, below are this year’s winners.
1st Place: Josie Butler, from Tipton Elementary School
2nd Place: Lucas Scholer, from Alexandria-Monroe Intermediate School
Both winners were recognized during the ceremony and had the opportunity to read their essays in front of legislators and the event’s attendees.
Featured Farmers, presented by Corteva Agriscience
At the Ag Day celebration, Indiana State Fair and Corteva Agriscience announced this year’s Featured Farmers, who will be honored during the greatest 17 days of summer: the Indiana State Fair (Aug. 2-18). Now in its fifth year, the program works to celebrate farmers, and each day, fairgoers will be able to connect with a different farm family, as they participate in Glass Barn chats, meet and greets, the nightly parade and more.
This year’s lineup is an excellent representation of the diversity of Indiana agriculture and includes everything from traditional row crop and livestock farmers to duck and tilapia farmers. There’s even a farmer who raises llamas. To see the full list of this year’s Featured Farmers, presented by Corteva Agriscience, click here.
A new retail dining destination coming to the Indianapolis International Airport is working to put more Indiana products in the hands of the airport’s 9.4 million annual travelers. Once completed, The Farmers’ Market, featuring Indiana Grown, will showcase Indiana’s rich culinary landscape by offering foods, beverages and brands that can only be found in the Hoosier state.
The 3,300 sq. ft. market, managed by SSP America, will be located in Concourse B. It will include a sit-down dining area, as well as a retail market, which will feature locally-sourced products.
Did you know that the McDonald’s system purchased more than 162 million pounds of corn from Indiana farmers in 2017? What about the fact that they employ roughly 21,000 Hoosiers across the state?
McDonald’s continues to be an important player in Indiana’s economic and agricultural landscapes. In fact, the McDonald’s system purchased $33 million worth of Indiana products in 2017. To recognize their commitment to Indiana agriculture, as well as salute the farmers who make, grow and raise their agricultural products, ISDA joined Indiana’s Family of Farmers and McDonald’s for a special, one-of-a-kind National Ag Day celebration.
The event, hosted by local McDonald’s owner/operators Mya Smith and Randy Shields, featured keynote speakers, Director Kettler and Indiana State Poultry Association President, Dan Krouse, who thanked McDonald’s for its ongoing support and commitment to Indiana farmers. It also focused on different commodities important to McDonald’s supply chain, like poultry, pork, dairy, corn and soybeans, as well as the techniques they use that make their products unique, like cracking a fresh egg for every Egg McMuffin.
One of the highlights of the event was the unveiling of a new trayliner, which is being used by most McDonald’s restaurants throughout the state. The trayliner includes the following information:
162,128,000 pounds of corn
45,000 dozen eggs
4,931,000 gallons of milk
3,970,000 pounds of pork
22,760,000 pounds of soybeans
2,984,000 pounds of soybean oil
Overall, celebrating farmers, McDonald’s and the importance of our supply chain relationship was a great way to kick off National Ag Month in Indiana. Click here to learn more or watch the video below, produced by McDonald’s, that captured some of the event’s highlights.
