Rural Heritage Magazine: History, Mischka Press, Content and Editors

Profile updated November 2026

Rural Heritage magazine is the bimonthly voice of draft animal power: farming and logging with horses, mules and oxen, small-scale diversified agriculture, homesteading and the skills of rural life. Founded in 1976 as The Evener, it moved from Tennessee to Iowa in 2007 and is now published by the Mischka family, who also produce a television show for RFD-TV.

History of Rural Heritage

Rural Heritage began in 1976 under the name The Evener, a reference to the bar that balances the pull of a team of draft animals. Published by Freiberg-Frederick Press, it served the small but devoted community of farmers and loggers who never gave up on horses, mules and oxen, and it later took the broader name Rural Heritage.

For years the magazine was based in Gainesboro, Tennessee, where Gail Damerow, a well-known author on small-scale farming and livestock, served as editor. Together with the magazine's companion television program, it became a central reference for teamsters, new homesteaders and anyone curious about animal-powered farming.

In 2007 Joe and Susan Mischka bought the magazine and TV show from a Tennessee couple and moved the operation to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Mischka family business had started in 1980 on a farm in Whitewater, Wisconsin, with a draft horse calendar. The Cedar Rapids business survived damage in the 2008 flood.

Rural Heritage Today

Rural Heritage is published bimonthly and offered by mail subscription, digital subscription and app stores; it is also sold at some farm and feed stores. Mischka Press publishes about 20 book titles on draft animal power and six calendars featuring draft horses, mules, donkeys and carriage horses.

The Rural Heritage television show, which grew out of the magazine, airs twice weekly on RFD-TV. The operation is lean, with one part-time employee and dozens of freelance writers and photographers.

What Rural Heritage Is Publishing Now

Farming with animals

How-to articles on plowing, haying, cultivating and harnessing with horses, mules and oxen, and on choosing and training working stock.

Horse logging and equipment

Coverage of low-impact logging with draft animals and of new and restored horse-drawn implements.

Rural heritage and homesteading

Stories on traditional skills, small diversified farms and the people keeping animal-powered agriculture alive.

Rural Heritage Editors and Staff

Wikipedia and local press coverage of the magazine name:

• Joe Mischka - Editor and Publisher
• Susan Mischka - Publisher
• Gail Damerow - Former editor

Mischka Press lists editor@ruralheritage.com for editorial inquiries.

Who Reads Rural Heritage

Readers are small farmers, teamsters, horse loggers, Amish and Mennonite farm families, homesteaders and draft animal hobbyists across North America. Their interest overlaps with sustainable agriculture research from USDA's SARE program and with ATTRA's practical guidance for small and diversified farms.

Rural Heritage Sources and Agriculture Authority Links

• Wikipedia: Rural Heritage - history from The Evener to Cedar Rapids.
• The Gazette: Cedar Rapids publishing company - a profile of the Mischkas and their business.
• RFD-TV: All About Rural Heritage - the television show that grew out of the magazine.
• USDA SARE: 10 ways cover crops enhance soil health - sustainable practices for small diversified farms.
• ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture - practical resources for small-scale farmers.

Rural Heritage FAQ

When did Rural Heritage magazine start?

In 1976, under the name The Evener.

Who publishes Rural Heritage?

Joe and Susan Mischka of Mischka Press in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who bought it in 2007.

How often is Rural Heritage published?

Bimonthly, in print and digital editions.

Is there a Rural Heritage TV show?

Yes. It grew out of the magazine and airs twice weekly on RFD-TV.

For half a century, Rural Heritage magazine has kept the art of farming with animals in print and on the air.