Show-Me Missouri Farm Bureau Magazine: The First State Farm Bureau, Its Magazine and Staff
Profile updated November 2026
Show-Me Missouri Farm Bureau is the quarterly membership magazine of Missouri Farm Bureau, the organization that claims the title of the first state Farm Bureau in the nation. Mailed to every member, about 130,000 households, it covers membership issues, features, opinion and member benefits, with a readership that is as urban as it is rural.
| Publisher | Missouri Farm Bureau |
|---|---|
| Organization founded | March 24-25, 1915, at Slater, Missouri |
| Magazine launched | Late 1990s, as Show Me MOFB |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Circulation | About 130,000, every member household |
| Members | More than 157,000 member families in all 114 counties |
| Official website | MOFB.org |
History of Show-Me Missouri Farm Bureau
Missouri was home to the first state Farm Bureau in the country. Its inaugural meeting took place in Slater on March 24-25, 1915, building on the Pettis County Farm Bureau, the first county organization, formed in 1912. Today Missouri Farm Bureau has a local Farm Bureau and at least one office in every one of the state's 114 counties.
The magazine in its current form began as Show Me MOFB. Chris Fennewald, who retired as editor of publications in early 2024 after 36 years on Farm Bureau publications, recalled starting with the very first issue of Show Me MOFB about 27 years earlier. In his farewell column he noted that production and design had changed but the stories had not: regulations, property rights, Missouri River management, rail-trail disputes such as the Katy Trail and Rock Island trail, rural broadband and health care.
Garrett Hawkins became the organization's 15th president in December 2020 and was re-elected to a third two-year term in December 2024.
Show-Me Missouri Farm Bureau Today
The magazine is published four times a year and also appears as a digital edition. After Fennewald's retirement, the staff said production would continue with new partners. Missouri Farm Bureau's wider media now includes news releases, commentary and the Digging In Podcast.
Because the magazine goes to every member, its audience is broad: a media kit breaks readers down as 38 percent urban, 36 percent rural, 23 percent active farmers, and smaller shares of agribusiness people and retired farmers.
What Show-Me Missouri Farm Bureau Is Publishing Now
Policy and property rights
Legislative news from Jefferson City and Washington, private property and eminent domain fights, river management and rural infrastructure.
Markets and farm life
Commodity markets, weather, and member stories that Farm Bureau uses in its advocacy.
Member benefits and opinion
Columns such as The Back Porch, member savings and service news, and features about Missouri farm families.
Show-Me Missouri Farm Bureau Editors and Staff
Missouri Farm Bureau's about page and the magazine name:
- Janet Adkison - Director of Public Affairs
- Garrett Hawkins - President
- Todd Hays - Vice President
- Davin Althoff - Director of Marketing and Commodities
- Chris Fennewald - Former editor of publications (retired 2024)
Who Reads Show-Me Missouri Farm Bureau
Readers are Missouri Farm Bureau members across all 114 counties, a mix in which urban and rural households outnumber active farmers. That is why the magazine explains farm issues in plain language while still serving the cattle, corn, soybean, poultry and hog producers who drive the organization's policy.
Cattle are central to Missouri agriculture, and nationally cattle and calves were the largest animal product at $72.9 billion in 2021, according to USDA's Economic Research Service. Federal census data from USDA NASS track Missouri's farms county by county.
Show-Me Missouri Farm Bureau readers live in the state that demands proof, so any joke had better earn its laugh. farm.FM takes up that challenge with farm satire and farm humor in a plainspoken Midwestern voice, plus ranch humor for the Ozarks cow-calf crowd. Its farm jokes are tested on skeptics before they ever reach the county fair.
farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, also runs Tractor Tunes, a country music lineup for farmers. For a sample of the writing, try the archive of one of its staff humorists.
Show-Me Missouri Farm Bureau Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Missouri Farm Bureau: About - the 1915 founding, membership and staff.
- Missouri Farm Bureau magazine: The Back Porch, Winter 2024 - the editor's retirement column.
- Media listing: Show-Me Missouri Farm Bureau - frequency, circulation and audience.
- USDA ERS: Animal product cash receipts - cattle sector economics.
- USDA NASS: Census of Agriculture - Missouri county farm data.
Show-Me Missouri Farm Bureau FAQ
How often is Show-Me Missouri Farm Bureau published?
Quarterly, and it goes to every member household.
Was Missouri the first state Farm Bureau?
Yes. Missouri Farm Bureau held its inaugural meeting in Slater on March 24-25, 1915.
How many members does Missouri Farm Bureau have?
More than 157,000 member families in all 114 counties.
Who is Missouri Farm Bureau's president?
Garrett Hawkins, first elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024.
From the first state Farm Bureau to its newest members, Show-Me Missouri Farm Bureau carries the story to some 130,000 homes each quarter.