A few area families were honored at the Indiana Statehouse Monday for their family farms. Lt. Governor Eric Holcomb and Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) Director Ted McKinney presented 46 families with a Hoosier Homestead Award in recognition of their commitment to Indiana agriculture.

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).

Those honored include:

Bartholomew County: The Schulz family received the Sesquicentennial Award.
Decatur County: The Fletcher and Fischmer families received the Centennial Award.
Johnson County: The Long family received the Centennial Award.

State officials say these families are among the more than 5,000 Hoosier Homestead farms.