56 family farms honored with the Hoosier Homestead Award at the Indiana Statehouse

At the Indiana Statehouse Friday, Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith and ISDA Director Don Lamb presented 56 farming families with a Hoosier Homestead Award in recognition of their commitment to Indiana agriculture.

Since the program's inception in 1976, over 6,200 families have received the Hoosier Homestead Award. Often, a Hoosier Homestead farm is easily recognized because most recipients proudly display their awarded sign on their property.

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

Farm to Capitol at the Indiana Statehouse

On National Ag Day, Indiana's Family of Farmers (IFOF) hosted Farm to Capitol at the Indiana Statehouse. Over 500 legislators, state employees, FFA members and guests attended the event where they were able to learn more about Indiana's agriculture industry! Indiana agriculture organizations and commodity groups set up booths focused on outreach and education. Attendees were able to interact with farm animals, play an agriculture trivia game, see farm equipment, enjoy food trucks and more.

USDA Expediting $10 Billion in Direct Economic Assistance to Agricultural Producers

USDA has announced that it is issuing up to $10 billion in direct payments to agricultural producers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) for the 2024 crop year. Administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), these economic assistance payments help agricultural producers mitigate the impacts of increased input costs and falling commodity prices.

Natural Products Expo West

International Trade Manager Megan Bixler traveled to Anaheim, California this month to support the 11 exhibiting Indiana companies at Natural Products Expo West. With a record-breaking 3,000+ exhibiting brands and 64,000+ attendees this year, Natural Products Expo West is the largest gathering for the natural, organic and conscious consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. The international presence at Expo West is also prominent, with over 123 countries represented.

Coinciding with Expo West, Food Export Midwest hosted their Natural Products Buyers Mission. They hosted qualified buyers from 16 different countries to meet one-on-one with U.S. suppliers in a private meeting room at the convention center. Five Indiana companies participated in these meetings to build business connections and generate international sales.

For more information regarding trade show opportunities, contact Megan Bixler.

Mar. 19, 2025 | Governor Braun declares March 19 Agriculture Trade Day
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