This year marks 200 years of Hoosier history. The Featured Farmers presented by Dow AgroSciences honored at the 2016 Indiana State Fair have contributed to that heritage since the very beginning. This year, each day of the State Fair will feature a different family farm from across the state. Moreover, each farmer that is featured has received the Indiana State Department of Agriculture’s Hoosier Homestead Award, meaning the farm has been in the same family for 100, 150, or 200 years. The Eliason Homestead, the only farm to have received the Hoosier Homestead bicentennial award, will celebrate the opening day of the 2016 State Fair. This farm begin in 1814, and is two years older than the state of Indiana. “Fair-goers made it clear last year that talking with farmers was a great part of their fair experience, and we are honored to once again provide this conversation opportunity,” said Susanne Wasson, U.S. RCU Leader, Crop Protection, Dow AgroSciences. “This group of 17 farmers represents wonderful history of Indiana agriculture, while also showing the future is bright for farm families.” “History and heritage will be a huge focus at this year’s fair, and we are honored to work with Dow AgroSciences to welcome back our Featured Farmers to join in the celebrations,” said Cindy Hoye, Executive Director, Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center. Here are the farms, county and their featured day at the 2016 Indiana State Fair.

• Eliason Homestead, Wayne County, August 5th
• Rissler Farm, Putnam County, August 6th
• TK Hattery Farms, Miami County, August 7th
• Springstun Farm, Warrick County, August 8th
• Ramsey Farms, Shelby County, August 9th
• Sands Farm Inc., Kosciusko County, August 10th
• Keiser Farms, Clay County, August 11th
• Rulon Enterprises LLC, Hamilton County, August 12th
• Beard Family Farms LLC, Whitley County, August 13th
• Kunkel Dairy Inc, Adams County, August 14th
• Booher Farms, Tippecanoe County, August 15th
• French Lick Winery, Martin County, August 16th
• Dull’s Tree Farm and Pumpkin Harvest, Boone County, August 17th
• Maple Farms, Howard County, August 18th
• The Browns Inc, Starke County, August 19th
• Hammelman Farm, Knox County, August 20th
• Bishop Farms, Kosciusko County, August 21st

You can visit with the Featured Farmers every day at 2:30 p.m. at the Glass Barn where they will also be interviewed. Look for these farmers at exhibits across the Fair and in your daily highlight sheet. For more information on our Featured Farmers, follow us on social media (@IndyStateFair) and download our new app to stay up to date on the latest announcements and information coming later this summer. ### About the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center The Indiana State Fairgrounds and Event Center is a modern public event facility that annually hosts more than 300 meetings, shows, sports and agricultural events, including the Indiana State Fair. The year-round management of the Fairgrounds is overseen by the Indiana State Fair Commission which is a quasi-governmental agency that was established in 1992, with the mission to preserve and enhance the Indiana State Fairgrounds and the annual Indiana State Fair for the benefit of all citizens of Indiana. Additional information is available at www.indianastatefair.com. About Dow AgroSciences Dow AgroSciences discovers, develops, and brings to market crop protection and plant biotechnology solutions for the growing world. Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, Dow AgroSciences is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company and had annual global sales of $6.4 billion in 2015. Learn more at www.dowagro.com. Follow Dow AgroSciences on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+, or subscribe to our News Release RSS Feed.