Farm Collector: History, Ogden Publications Profile, Content and Editors
Profile updated November 2026
Farm Collector magazine is dedicated to the preservation of vintage farm equipment, and it has delivered stories of old tractors, threshers and oddball tools to collectors since August 1998. Published in Topeka, Kansas, it is built largely from readers' own photos and memories. Here is the magazine's history, current profile, content and editors.
| First issue | August 1998 |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Ogden Publications, Topeka, Kansas |
| Tagline | Dedicated to the Preservation of Vintage Farm Equipment |
| Format | Print and digital; recent editions issued every other month |
| Sister title | Gas Engine Magazine |
| Address | 1503 S.W. 42nd St., Topeka, KS 66609 |
| Official website | FarmCollector.com |
History of Farm Collector
Ogden Publications, founded in Topeka in 1996 by the family-owned Ogden Newspapers, launched Farm Collector with its August 1998 issue. The company already understood the collector market and later bought Gas Engine Magazine and Iron-Man Album, giving it a stable of titles for the antique machinery hobby.
Early editors such as Nancy Smith and Jason B. Harmon set the tone, promising readers that the wheels of rural memory would keep turning every month. Leslie C. McManus became the magazine's best-known voice, editing it for many years and writing First Things columns celebrating milestones such as its 10th and 25th anniversaries.
As Ogden reorganized its rural titles, Richard Backus served as editor-in-chief, and Landon Hall later became group editor, with McManus continuing as senior editor.
Farm Collector Today
Farm Collector reaches readers in print and digitally through apps and library services such as OverDrive, where recent editions appear every other month. Its website hosts articles, show listings and a community of collectors.
Ogden markets Farm Collector alongside Gas Engine Magazine, Grit, Capper's Farmer and Mother Earth News as part of its rural lifestyle and farm memorabilia group.
What Farm Collector Is Publishing Now
Tractors and machinery
Restoration stories and histories of models such as the John Deere Model D and the Minneapolis 24-75, plus coverage of club shows like the Ford/Fordson Collectors Association national show.
Mystery tools and gadgets
The long-running Wanted: Gadgets, Gizmos and Contraptions feature lets readers identify mystery farm tools.
Shows, auctions and memories
Show and event listings, auction previews, extensive classifieds, letters and reader recollections of the good old days.
Farm Collector Editors and Staff
Farm Collector's mastheads list the following editorial staff:
- Landon Hall - Group Editor
- Leslie C. McManus - Senior Editor (longtime editor)
- Christine Stoner - Associate Editor
- Terry Price - Art Director
- Tonya Olson - Digital Content Manager
- Richard Backus - Former Editor-in-Chief
Readers can send stories and photos to Farm Collector at the Topeka address above; the magazine says it prints as many as it can.
Who Reads Farm Collector
Readers are antique tractor and equipment collectors, restorers, show volunteers and farm families preserving their own machinery. The Census of Agriculture has tracked U.S. farms since 1840, and Farm Collector readers are, in effect, curators of the machines behind those historical counts.
Every collector has a story about the tractor that would not start on show day, in front of everyone. For more of that gentle comedy, farm.FM runs farm satire and farm humor rooted in rural history, with ranch humor mixed in for the horse-drawn crowd. Its farm jokes about restoration budgets may hit a little close to home for Farm Collector subscribers.
Part newsroom, part radio dial, farm.FM bills itself as America's first satirical farm site and plays Tractor Tunes, its country music for farmers. Browse a farm.FM writer's back catalog to see the style.
Farm Collector Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Farm Collector: Wheels Keep Turnin' - an editor's column noting the August 1998 launch.
- Ogden Publications: Company history - milestones for the publisher.
- Farm Collector: Celebrating 10 Years - Leslie McManus on the magazine's first decade.
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - the farm census conducted since 1840.
- Penn State Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive - historical farm machinery reporting from 1980.
Farm Collector FAQ
When did Farm Collector start?
Farm Collector launched with its August 1998 issue.
Who publishes Farm Collector?
Ogden Publications in Topeka, Kansas.
Who edits Farm Collector?
Mastheads list Landon Hall as group editor and Leslie C. McManus as senior editor.
What does Farm Collector cover?
Antique tractors and farm equipment, restoration, mystery tools, shows, auctions and reader memories.
For collectors who believe the past is worth saving, Farm Collector magazine remains the friendliest place to share a restored tractor or a mystery tool.