Finalists are honored by AgriNews, Beck’s

SELMA, Ind. — Sylvester and Sabrina Friend of Prairie Hills Farm in Selma were honored as a finalist of the 2025 Indiana Farm Family of the Year Award.

The first-generation family farm produces and raises egg layers, 3,000-plus broilers, sheep and more than 100 goats.

Their daughters, Skylar, 11, and Shiloh, 9, are involved on the farm, as well.

The family is involved in the National Farmers Union, Indiana Farmers Union, Hoosiers Young Farmers Coalition, Indiana Beekeepers Association, National Young Farmers Coalition and Human Agriculture Co-operative.

The family works together to make the farm a success.

“Sylvester is the muscle behind our farm,” said Sabrina Friend. “He is the man putting up hoop houses, putting in pastures, moving animals on pasture daily and the bulk of our day-to-day activity.

“We work together to care and tend for the livestock we steward along with our two daughters.

“We both play a great part in making sure starts stay alive and healthy enough to make it out to the ground. As a family we really enjoy learning about and implementing regenerative and sustainable practices on our small-scale farm.”

The family works closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to help the farm be sustainable.

Through programs and grants, the family has added rainwater catchment systems to hoop houses, added two new hoop houses and added permanent paddocks to their main pasture to help with rotational grazing.

Learn more at prairiehillsfarms.com.