INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — 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, Tipton Elementary School
- 2nd Place: Lucas Scholer, 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.
— Indiana State Department of Agriculture
For more articles out of Indiana, click here.