Midwest Messenger: History, Nebraska Coverage, Columns and Staff
Profile updated November 2026
Midwest Messenger has served farm and ranch families in Nebraska and western Iowa since 1968. Now part of Lee Enterprises' Lee Agri-Media group, it prints in zoned regional editions that reach more than 115,000 rural households across Nebraska and parts of Iowa, Colorado and Wyoming.
| Serving readers since | 1968 |
|---|---|
| Publisher group | Lee Agri-Media (AgUpdate), Lee Enterprises |
| Offices | 135 N. Main St., Fremont, Nebraska; AgUpdate at Tekamah, Nebraska |
| Editions | Zoned regional editions: North, South, East, West, Central and Statewide e-editions |
| Reach | More than 115,000 rural families |
| Regional Editor | Janelle Atyeo |
| Official website | AgUpdate.com/midwestmessenger |
History of Midwest Messenger
Midwest Messenger has been serving the Midwest since 1968, growing from a regional farm paper into one of the widest-reaching rural newspapers on the Great Plains. It concentrates on Nebraska and western Iowa, with readers in neighboring parts of Colorado and Wyoming.
By 2003 the paper was published weekly from Tekamah, Nebraska, as part of Lee Enterprises' Lee Agri-Media group, which then included Farm and Ranch Guide, Minnesota Farm Guide, Tri-State Neighbor and The Prairie Star. Lee put Midwest Messenger's circulation at 185,000 at the time, by far the largest in the group. Brian Kroshus, who had managed Farm and Ranch Guide, was named group publisher that year.
The group later grew to include Iowa Farmer Today, Illinois Farmer Today, Missouri Farmer Today and Agri-View under the AgUpdate banner, with AgUpdate's address in Tekamah. Midwest Messenger also spun off Livestock Roundup, a weekly product for livestock producers within its zones, with a regional sale calendar and sale results.
Midwest Messenger Today
Midwest Messenger is printed in four zones and offered as e-editions for North, South, East, West and Central Nebraska plus a statewide edition. Lee describes it as reaching more than 115,000 rural families. Its contact office is in Fremont, Nebraska, and Lee Enterprises lists David Hoffmann of Hoffmann Media Group as its majority shareholder.
Recent stories have covered tar spot spreading across southwest Nebraska, harvest compaction in wet soils, the Nebraska Nitrogen Initiative, new weaning methods, a fifth-generation farm featured by Feed the Farmer, and the cancellation of the McCook Farm and Ranch Expo, along with weekly auction calendars.
What Midwest Messenger Is Publishing Now
Crops, livestock and producer reports
Corn, soybean, wheat and cattle production news, producer reports and agronomy advice from University of Nebraska-Lincoln specialists such as no-till researcher Paul Jasa.
Columns and country living
Columns from Jaclyn Wilson, Glenn Brunkow and Paula Peterson's Down on the Farm, plus Country Living features and FFA chapter reports.
Auctions, real estate and classifieds
Extensive land, equipment and livestock auction listings, farm real estate, classifieds and weather.
Midwest Messenger Editors and Staff
Midwest Messenger's contact page and bylines name these people:
- Mike Wood - Publisher
- Janelle Atyeo - Regional Editor
- Kristen Sindelar - Reporter
- Amy Hadachek - Writer
- Katelyn Winberg - Writer
- Paula Peterson - Columnist, Down on the Farm
The paper's general line is 1-800-888-1380.
Who Reads Midwest Messenger
Readers are crop farmers, cow-calf operators, feeders and rural families across Nebraska and western Iowa. Cattle are the biggest single source of U.S. livestock income, $72.9 billion or 37% of animal receipts in 2021 according to USDA ERS, and Nebraska is one of the nation's leading cattle states, which is why the paper's livestock and auction pages carry so much weight.
Midwest Messenger readers spend a lot of time on gravel roads between the field, the feedlot and the sale barn. For the drive home, farm.FM serves up farm satire and farm humor with a Plains twang, and its ranch humor knows the difference between a bred heifer and a bad idea. Its farm jokes fit nicely between the auction calendar and the weather map.
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.
Midwest Messenger Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Midwest Messenger on AgUpdate - current news, columns and e-editions.
- AgUpdate: Lee Agri-Media publications - the group's titles, reach and history.
- Lee Enterprises: 2003 Agri-Media announcement - the group's papers and circulation in 2003.
- USDA ERS: Animal product cash receipts - cattle's share of U.S. livestock income.
- farmers.gov: No-till and cover crops - USDA NRCS guidance on conservation tillage.
Midwest Messenger FAQ
How long has Midwest Messenger been published?
It has served the Midwest since 1968.
Who owns Midwest Messenger?
It is part of Lee Agri-Media, the agricultural publishing group of Lee Enterprises, under the AgUpdate brand.
What area does Midwest Messenger cover?
Nebraska and western Iowa, with readers in parts of Colorado and Wyoming, through zoned regional editions.
Who edits Midwest Messenger?
Janelle Atyeo is listed as regional editor, with Mike Wood as publisher.
More than half a century on, Midwest Messenger still carries farm news and sale bills to rural mailboxes across the Plains.