(La Porte County) - La Porte’s own Garwood Orchards has won the state’s top agricultural honor.  The Indiana AgriVision Award is presented to Hoosier farms on the cutting edge of agriculture in terms of advancing technology or serving community needs.  The award was presented Thursday at the Indiana Statehouse by Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and the state’s agriculture director Bruce Kettler.

 

Carey Garwood spoke with HometownNewsNow on her way back from Indy after receiving the award Thursday afternoon.  “I don’t think any of us really thought that we would get [the award]. I mean, we were going up against a lot of great farmers in the state that do some pretty amazing things.”

 

What caught the state’s attention, Garwood said, was the wholesale side of their business.  With 500 acres of fresh fruits and vegetables, only a small fraction of their produce sells at their market.  The rest gets shipped all over the country.  “We have some state of the art packing lines,” she said.  “In today’s world, even before COVID, that means a lot of safety things and a lot of things to make sure our produce is safe and ready for the consumer.”

 

Garwood thanked Jane Daley with the La Porte County Convention and Visitors and Bureau, who nominated the farm for the AgriVision Award.  The Garwoods shared the honor with another farm in North Manchester.  Of the two honorees, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch said, “These two agricultural operations take technology and community involvement to the Next Level. It was an honor to recognize the families and their agricultural businesses at the Statehouse today.”

 

Founded in 1831, Garwood’s is now in its sixth generation of family farming.