Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
A Kosciusko County farm was honored Saturday by the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana.
Cloice Metzger of Metzger Cattle Co. received the John Arnold Rural Preservation Award, which recognizes farmers who balance modern farming with the preservation of their property's historic resources.
The Metzger Cattle Co., rural Claypool, has been home to six generations of the Metzger family since 1855, when Joseph Metzger made his first land purchase. Three generations of the family own and operate the farm today: Cloice Metzger, the 91-year-old patriarch of the Metzger family; his son, Ronald, and wife, Genevieve; and their son, Rod, and his wife, Ann.
The Metzgers were nominated for the award by Neal Carlson of the Kosciusko County Historical Society. Carlson presented the award to Ron and Genevieve Metzger during the Farmer's Day Parade Aug. 14 at the Indiana State Fair.
Because of his age, Cloice Metzger was unable to attend the Aug. 14 presentation. Eleanor Arnold, for whose son the award is named, presented the award to Cloice in the old courtroom of the Kosciusko County courthourse Saturday morning.
The Metzgers raise and sell feeder cattle and also have a general farming operation. The farm's 675 acres are used for pasture, silage and field corn for the cattle, and the family rents additional acreage.
The Metzgers' historic cattle farm includes a landmark 1887 brick farmhouse, three barns, a smokehouse, a summer kitchen, a privy and other well-preserved buildings dating from the 1870s and 1880s.
The family also demonstrates commitment to their farm's heritage by practicing good soil conservation techniques.
Each year since 1992, Historic Landmarks Foundation and the Indiana Farm Bureau have presented the John Arnold Rural Preservation Award to Indiana farmers and farm families in recognition of the preservation and continued pratical use of a historic farm.
The award is named for John Arnold, a Rush County farmer who was killed in a farm accident in 1991. Elearnor Arnold has been instrumental in directing the foundation's rural preservation programs.
