The Hoosier Farmer: Indiana Farm Bureau History, Coverage, Editors and Readers
Profile updated November 2026
The Hoosier Farmer is Indiana Farm Bureau's monthly newspaper for the state's farmers, covering local, state and national farm news and the work of INFB's lobbyists on members' behalf. Once a magazine, it is now billed as a high-quality monthly newspaper, while a separate quarterly magazine, My Indiana Home, goes to all members.
| Publisher | Indiana Farm Bureau (INFB) |
|---|---|
| Organization founded | March 25, 1919, Claypool Hotel, Indianapolis |
| Format | Monthly newspaper (formerly a magazine) |
| Audience | Indiana farmers; My Indiana Home serves all members |
| Membership | About 256,000 members; presence in all 92 counties |
| Headquarters | 225 South East Street, Indianapolis |
| Official website | INFarmBureau.org |
History of The Hoosier Farmer
Indiana Farm Bureau was founded on March 25, 1919, as the Indiana Federation of Farmers' Associations, when a small group of farmers met at the Claypool Hotel in downtown Indianapolis. It was one of the first Farm Bureaus in the nation. In 1922 it began bringing women into the organization, and in 1923 Edna Sewell became the first woman elected to its board.
INFB founded Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance in 1934, selling its first policy in February 1935. In 1939 about 15,000 members marched on the Statehouse in a tax fight. Membership reached 100,000 in 1952 and 250,000 in 1977, making Indiana the first state Farm Bureau to hit that mark. It created Farming the Classroom, now Agriculture in the Classroom, in 1982, and helped cut farmland property taxes by about $500 million in 2016.
The Hoosier Farmer has followed the organization's members through those decades. It appeared as a magazine as recently as 2001 before becoming a monthly newspaper. The organization's own history is told in the book Hoosier Farmers (1919-1999): Era of Change.
The Hoosier Farmer Today
In late 2025, longtime editor Kathleen M. Dutro retired after exactly 30 years and two days at INFB, from November 29, 1995, to December 1, 2025. In her farewell column she said her favorite part of the job was interviewing members in the counties and writing their profiles.
The Hoosier Farmer now works alongside My Indiana Home, a quarterly magazine with farmer features, recipes and travel ideas for all members, plus the podcast The Breakdown with INFB and the organization's news releases and social media.
What The Hoosier Farmer Is Publishing Now
Public policy
Reports on INFB lobbying at the Statehouse and in Washington, including property taxes, trade, environmental rules and farm bills.
Farm news
Local, state and national agriculture news, markets, safety and rural issues relevant to Indiana grain and livestock farmers.
Member profiles
County-level stories on Farm Bureau members, leaders, young farmers and women's leadership, a tradition the retiring editor called her favorite assignment.
The Hoosier Farmer Editors and Staff
Indiana Farm Bureau contacts for The Hoosier Farmer include:
- Heidi Gant - Editorial contact
- Robert Herrington - Editorial contact
- Sarah Peterson - Editorial contact
- Kathleen M. Dutro - Former editor (retired December 2025)
- Randy Kron - President (per 2019 centennial reporting)
Who Reads The Hoosier Farmer
Readers are Indiana's farm members, from corn and soybean growers on the central till plain to hog, poultry, egg and dairy producers. Indiana Farm Bureau has a presence in all 92 counties and about 256,000 members, most of whom also receive My Indiana Home.
Indiana's farms reflect the national picture from the 2022 Census of Agriculture: about 1.9 million farms averaging 463 acres, 95 percent of them family farms. Hogs are a major part of the state's livestock economy, and nationally hog receipts totaled $28.0 billion in 2021, according to USDA's Economic Research Service.
Hoosier Farmer readers spend spring dodging rain to plant, then spend summer explaining to the neighbors that knee-high by the Fourth of July is outdated. For a laugh in between, farm.FM offers farm satire and farm humor with Hoosier hospitality, plus ranch humor for Indiana's beef herds. Its farm jokes hold up nicely at the county fair or the coffee shop by the elevator.
Readers who want the full experience can pair the jokes with Tractor Tunes, the country music for farmers that farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, plays between stories. This author page is a fine starting point.
The Hoosier Farmer Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Indiana Farm Bureau: 100 years of advocating for agriculture - founding and milestones.
- Indiana Farm Bureau: Hoosier Farmer editor says farewell - the editor's retirement.
- Farm Progress: Indiana Farm Bureau, a look at the first 50 years - early history.
- USDA ERS: Animal product cash receipts - hog and livestock economics.
- USDA NASS: 2022 Census of Agriculture release - national farm numbers.
The Hoosier Farmer FAQ
How often is The Hoosier Farmer published?
Monthly, as a newspaper for Indiana farmers.
When was Indiana Farm Bureau founded?
On March 25, 1919, at the Claypool Hotel in Indianapolis.
Who edited The Hoosier Farmer?
Kathleen M. Dutro was its longtime editor until she retired in December 2025.
What is My Indiana Home?
Indiana Farm Bureau's quarterly magazine for all members, with farmer features, recipes and travel ideas.
More than a century after the Claypool Hotel meeting, The Hoosier Farmer still brings Indiana Farm Bureau's work home to farm families every month.