Farm and Dairy: History, Salem Ohio Weekly, Coverage and Staff
Profile updated November 2026
Farm and Dairy has been printed in Salem, Ohio, since 1914, when it started life as the Tri-County Farmer. Still family owned through Lyle Printing and Publishing Co., the weekly covers farm news, markets and auctions for rural Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
| Founded | 1914, as the Tri-County Farmer |
|---|---|
| Founder | Richard B. Thompson (1877-1940) |
| Parent company | Lyle Printing and Publishing Co., Darling family |
| Home | Salem, Ohio |
| Frequency | Weekly |
| Editor | Rachel Wagoner, since 2023 |
| Official website | FarmandDairy.com |
History of Farm and Dairy
Richard B. Thompson, born in southern Illinois, moved to Salem in 1904 and edited the Salem Daily News before founding the Tri-County Farmer in 1914. He printed it through Lyle Printing Company, founded by Jim Lyle in 1890, and became first a partner and then owner of the firm. Thompson sold his interest in 1928 and moved to Florida, returned briefly in the late 1930s, and then J.T. Darling bought a controlling interest.
James Thomas Darling had been advertising manager in the early 1920s and came back to steer the business through its Depression-era reorganization. His son Wayne T. Darling became president at 25 in 1957 and led the company until 1997, growing the paper's size and circulation and modernizing its presses. Scot Darling then served as publisher for nearly 27 years.
In September 2024 Jordan Roberts, chief operating officer since 2013, succeeded Scot Darling as publisher and as CEO of Lyle Printing and Publishing, with Darling staying on as chairman. The paper's editors have included Elden R. Groves, who held the job for most of 1934 to 1982, and Susan Crowell, editor from 1989 to 2019, followed by Rebecca Miller and, since 2023, Rachel Wagoner. Farm and Dairy celebrated its 100th year with an open house in 2014.
Farm and Dairy Today
Farm and Dairy remains a weekly newspaper with a website at farmanddairy.com, offering subscriptions of 52 and 104 issues. Its publisher describes it as a small staff with big talent. The parent company also runs a commercial printing department, led by company president Thomas Darling.
The paper covers rural communities in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia and carries New York and grain market reports online. It holds print ISSN 0014-7826 and online ISSN 2993-5334.
What Farm and Dairy Is Publishing Now
Farm news and markets
The cover section carries farm news, market prices, crop reports and columns for livestock, dairy and crop producers in the tri-state area.
Weekly Auction Guide
Listings for farm, estate and equipment auctions across Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, a reason many readers subscribe.
Antique Collector and Rural Marketplace
Antiques coverage plus classifieds, autos and rural real estate fill the back sections.
Farm and Dairy Editors and Staff
Farm and Dairy's about page, publisher announcements and newsroom contacts name these people:
- Jordan Roberts - Publisher and CEO, Lyle Printing and Publishing (since 2024)
- Rachel Wagoner - Editor (since 2023)
- Thomas Darling - President, Lyle Printing and Publishing
- Scot Darling - Chairman, former publisher
- Liz Partsch - Editorial contact
- Heather Finsley - Editorial contact
- Susan Crowell - Former Editor (1989-2019)
The newsroom can be reached at 800-837-3419.
Who Reads Farm and Dairy
Readers are dairy, beef, sheep and crop farmers, auction-goers and rural families in eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. Ohio State University's dairy extension team publishes outlook pieces, including summaries of USDA ERS dairy forecasts, that speak to the same producers who read the paper's market pages.
Farm and Dairy readers will drive two counties for a good auction and stay for the pie at the lunch stand. For the same kind of good-natured rural storytelling online, farm.FM runs farm satire and farm humor, with some ranch humor for the cattle crowd. Its farm jokes are cheaper than anything that crosses the auction block, and nobody has to bid against the neighbor.
For context, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site and the home of Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Its contributors each keep an archive, and this one is a good sampler of ranch humor and farm jokes.
Farm and Dairy Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Farm and Dairy: About us - history, editors and owners from 1914 to today.
- Farm and Dairy: New publisher Jordan Roberts - the 2024 leadership change.
- Library of Congress catalog record - bibliographic record for the newspaper.
- Ohio State University: Buckeye Dairy News - extension summary of the USDA ERS dairy outlook.
- USDA NASS: Census of Agriculture - farm data for Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Farm and Dairy FAQ
When was Farm and Dairy founded?
It traces to the Tri-County Farmer, founded in Salem, Ohio, in 1914 by Richard B. Thompson.
Who owns Farm and Dairy?
Lyle Printing and Publishing Co., a family company long run by the Darling family; Jordan Roberts became publisher and CEO in 2024.
What area does Farm and Dairy cover?
Rural Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, with auction listings and market reports for the region.
Who edits Farm and Dairy?
Rachel Wagoner has been editor since 2023.
More than a century after the Tri-County Farmer, Farm and Dairy is still printed in Salem and still read cover to cover on tri-state farms.