Farm World: History, Six-State Coverage, Correspondents and Staff
Profile updated November 2026
Farm World is a weekly farm newspaper published from Knightstown, Indiana, 51 weeks a year. It began in February 1955 as the Eastern Indiana Farmer, a local paper for three counties, and has grown through two renamings into a regional weekly for farmers in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee.
| First issue | February 1955, as the Eastern Indiana Farmer |
|---|---|
| Founders | R. Thomas (Tom) and Margaret (Peg) Mayhill |
| Earlier names | Eastern Indiana Farmer (1955), Farm Week (1977), Farm World (2001) |
| Owner | MidCountry Media Inc., since 2009 |
| Home | 27 N. Jefferson St., Knightstown, Indiana |
| Frequency | Weekly, Wednesdays, 51 issues a year |
| Official website | FarmWorldOnline.com |
History of Farm World
Tom and Peg Mayhill, who owned the Knightstown Banner, launched the Eastern Indiana Farmer in February 1955. The first issue went to 6,000 readers around Rush, Henry and Hancock counties and was written for the farmers of that corner of the state. Among the first subscribers were Will Willcutt of Carthage and Philip Wilkie of Rushville.
As coverage spread into Kentucky and Ohio, the paper was renamed Farm Week in 1977. Further expansion across the eastern Corn Belt led to a second change, and in May 2001 it became Farm World. Over those years it moved from black-and-white to color and grew from roughly 52 to 56 pages a week to 84 to 88 pages in three sections by its 60th year.
Farm World was owned by Daily Mail and General Trust until 2009, when MidCountry Media Inc. bought it. Dave Blower, editor at the time of the paper's 60th anniversary in 2015, said it had no plans to give up print despite digital delivery.
Farm World Today
Farm World still publishes every Wednesday from its Knightstown office, with a website at farmworldonline.com. Its coverage area takes in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee.
The paper relies on a wide network of correspondents, with writers based in Peoria, Springfield and Carbondale, Illinois; Jeffersonville, Fort Wayne, Michigan City and Zionsville, Indiana; Hamilton, West Chester and Wooster, Ohio; Stanton, Saline and North Adams, Michigan; Lexington and Lowes, Kentucky; and Washington, D.C.
What Farm World Is Publishing Now
Regional farm news
Crop, livestock and farm business stories from across six states, filed by local correspondents who know their own territory.
Washington and policy
Correspondents in Washington, D.C., follow farm bill, trade and regulatory news for Midwest and Mid-South readers.
Auctions and advertising
Display, auction and classified advertising, with weekly deadlines that keep sale listings current for the Wednesday edition.
Farm World Editors and Staff
Farm World's contact page and anniversary coverage name these people:
- Tony Gregory - Publisher
- Connie Swaim - Managing Editor
- Tim Alexander - Correspondent, Peoria, Illinois
- Cindy Ladage - Correspondent, Springfield, Illinois
- Jordan Strickler - Correspondent, Lexington, Kentucky
- Dave Blower - Former Editor (editor in 2015)
Farm World's office line is 1-800-876-5133.
Who Reads Farm World
Readers are corn, soybean, wheat, hog, cattle and dairy farmers and agribusiness people across the eastern Corn Belt and into Kentucky and Tennessee. The USDA Census of Agriculture provides county-by-county data for every state Farm World covers, and the conservation practices its writers follow, such as no-till and cover crops, are backed by NRCS guidance.
Farm World started with 6,000 readers in three eastern Indiana counties and now covers six states, which means a lot of coffee-shop opinions about the weather. For a laugh to go with them, farm.FM publishes farm satire and farm humor in a Hoosier-friendly voice, with ranch humor for the Kentucky cattlemen. Its farm jokes arrive faster than the Wednesday mail.
farm.FM calls itself the nation's first satirical farm site, and between the headlines it spins Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers; a good place to start reading is this farm.FM columnist's archive.
Farm World Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Hoosier Ag Today: Farm World turns 60 - founding, name changes and growth.
- Wikipedia: Farm World - ownership and coverage states.
- Farm World: Contact us - staff, correspondents and office.
- USDA NASS: Census of Agriculture - farm data for Indiana and neighboring states.
- farmers.gov: No-till and cover crops - USDA NRCS conservation guidance.
Farm World FAQ
When was Farm World founded?
In February 1955, as the Eastern Indiana Farmer, by Tom and Peg Mayhill of Knightstown.
What was Farm World called before?
It was the Eastern Indiana Farmer, then Farm Week from 1977, and Farm World from May 2001.
Who owns Farm World?
MidCountry Media Inc., which bought it from Daily Mail and General Trust in 2009.
What states does Farm World cover?
Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee.
Seventy years after the Eastern Indiana Farmer, Farm World still lands every Wednesday in farm mailboxes across six states.