The Land: History, Minnesota Coverage, Columns and Staff
Profile updated November 2026
The Land farm newspaper has carried the motto Where farm and family meet since The Free Press of Mankato launched it in 1976. The weekly tabloid goes free to Minnesota farmers and agribusinesses, alternating between southern and northern Minnesota zones, and every front page leads with a big farm photo.
| Founded | 1976, by The Free Press, Mankato |
|---|---|
| Address | 418 S. Second St., Mankato, Minnesota 56001 |
| Format | Weekly tabloid, two alternating circulation zones |
| Circulation | About 20,790 |
| Price | Free to Minnesota farmers and agribusiness; paid subscription for others |
| Motto | Where farm and family meet |
| Official website | The Land on Issuu |
History of The Land
The Free Press, Mankato's daily newspaper, founded The Land in 1976 to serve the farm economy of southern Minnesota. It adopted a tabloid format and the motto Where farm and family meet, which still runs with its logo on every issue, along with a large farm-related photo on each front page.
As the paper grew it split its distribution into two zones that alternate weeks: one covering roughly the southern third of Minnesota and the other the northern two-thirds. That lets a single newsroom serve the whole state while giving each region a fresh edition every other week.
Wikipedia lists the paper's owner as Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., the parent of The Free Press. Around 2020 to 2024 the masthead listed Steve Jameson as publisher, Deb Petterson as general manager and Paul Malchow as managing editor, with Dick Hagen as staff writer emeritus.
The Land Today
The Land still publishes weekly from Mankato and posts full editions online through Issuu, alongside its website, TheLandOnline.com. Its current infobox lists Jim Santori as publisher and Kevin Schulz as editor.
A typical issue opens with opinion and letters, moves through features and columns, and closes with markets, auctions and classifieds and the Back Roads feature on the back page.
What The Land Is Publishing Now
Farm news and features
Stories on Minnesota crop and livestock farms, farm families, research and policy, built around the large front-page photo that defines each issue.
Columns
Regulars have included Land Minds from the editor, Deep Roots, Kitchen Classics, Green and Growing, Swine and U from University of Minnesota Extension, and Farm and Food File.
Markets and auctions
Mielke Market Weekly, Financial Focus from Compeer Financial, an events calendar and extensive auction and classified listings.
The Land Editors and Staff
The Land's masthead and its Wikipedia entry name these people:
- Jim Santori - Publisher
- Kevin Schulz - Editor
- Laura Cole - Staff Writer (2024 masthead)
- Paul Malchow - Former Managing Editor (2020-2024 mastheads)
- Dick Hagen - Staff Writer Emeritus
Story ideas and editorial questions go to editor@TheLandOnline.com, the address printed in the paper.
Who Reads The Land
Readers are Minnesota crop and livestock farmers, agribusinesses and rural families, from the corn and soybean country around Mankato to the northern half of the state. Soil conservation practices the paper covers, such as no-till and cover crops, are backed by USDA NRCS and SARE research that Minnesota producers increasingly put to work.
Readers of The Land are used to a newspaper that opens with a big, proud farm photo and ends with a page of auctions. Between those two, farm.FM would slot in nicely, with farm satire and farm humor about Minnesota winters, hotdish and planter breakdowns, and a little ranch humor too. Its farm jokes are free to Minnesota farmers, just like the paper.
The outlet behind those laughs, farm.FM, is the nation's first satirical farm site, complete with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers. A farm.FM humorist's archive shows what a week of it looks like.
The Land Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Wikipedia: The Land (weekly newspaper) - founding, ownership, zones and circulation.
- The Land: April 12, 2024 edition - a full issue with masthead and columns.
- farmers.gov: No-till and cover crops - USDA NRCS answers on conservation practices.
- SARE: 10 ways cover crops enhance soil health - research summary for Midwest growers.
- USDA NASS: Census of Agriculture - Minnesota county and state farm data.
The Land FAQ
Who publishes The Land?
The Free Press of Mankato, Minnesota, which founded it in 1976.
Is The Land free?
It is free to Minnesota farmers and agribusinesses; other readers can subscribe.
How often does The Land come out?
Weekly, with two circulation zones, southern and northern Minnesota, that alternate weeks.
How do I contact The Land's newsroom?
The paper prints editor@TheLandOnline.com and its Mankato address, 418 S. Second St.
Fifty years after its launch, The Land farm newspaper is still where Minnesota farm and family meet each week.