Western Farm Press: History, Farm Progress Ownership, Coverage and Editors
Profile updated November 2026
Western Farm Press carries the Farm Press tradition, born in the Mississippi Delta in 1943, to the most diverse farm region in the country. Since the company moved into Arizona and California in 1979, the paper has covered almonds, pistachios, citrus, vegetables, cotton, dairy and the endless fight over Western water. Today it is a Farm Progress brand.
| Launched | 1979, when Farm Press expanded into Arizona and California |
|---|---|
| Earlier name | California Farm Press |
| Original company | Farm Press Publications, Clarksdale, Mississippi |
| Publisher | Farm Progress, part of Informa |
| Coverage area | California and Arizona |
| Key writers | Todd Fitchette and Tim Hearden |
| Official website | Western Farm Press on FarmProgress.com |
History of Western Farm Press
The Farm Press company started in 1943 as a farm supplement to The Clarksdale Daily Press in Mississippi, became an independent Mid-South paper in the 1960s, and in 1974 launched Southeast Farm Press and Southwest Farm Press. In 1979 it expanded into the Arizona and California market. The University of Missouri School of Journalism, profiling owner William S. McNamee, listed the company's four papers as Delta Farm Press, Southeast Farm Press, Southwest Farm Press and California Farm Press, reaching about 250,000 farmers and agribusiness people across 20 states.
The western paper now carries the Western Farm Press name and is one of the Farm Progress brands owned by Informa. Farm Progress materials list its coverage as California and Arizona.
Western Farm Press Today
Farm Progress lists Western Farm Press among its 14 state and regional brands. Like the other Farm Press titles it is produced by journalists working from home offices across their region, a model the company adopted after its original Clarksdale office emptied during the pandemic.
Farm Progress names Todd Fitchette as a leading Farm Press journalist for the West, and the magazine announced that veteran agricultural reporter Tim Hearden had joined the Western Farm Press staff. Hearden also writes for organic produce industry outlets, reflecting the West's large organic sector.
What Western Farm Press Is Publishing Now
Tree nuts and fruit
Almond, pistachio, walnut, citrus, grape and stone fruit production and markets for California's specialty crop growers.
Water and regulation
Groundwater rules, drought, surface water allocations, pesticide regulation and labor policy, issues that shape Western farm profitability.
Field crops, dairy and desert agriculture
Cotton, rice, alfalfa, dairy and Arizona's winter vegetable production in the low desert.
Western Farm Press Editors and Staff
Farm Progress author pages, brand materials and editorial contact lists name:
- Todd Fitchette - Farm Press journalist, Farm Progress West region
- Tim Hearden - Western Farm Press staff writer
- William S. McNamee - Founder and longtime owner of Farm Press
Fitchette and Hearden both have long archives of Western Farm Press stories on FarmProgress.com author pages.
Who Reads Western Farm Press
Readers are commercial growers and agribusiness people in California and Arizona, many of them specialty crop producers. California is the nation's leading farm state by sales value, and USDA NASS publishes the state's commodity data through Quick Stats and the Census of Agriculture, which counted 1.9 million U.S. farms in 2022.
Western Farm Press readers deal with water boards, almond prices and regulators in a single morning, so a laugh by lunchtime is overdue. farm.FM serves farm satire for the Central Valley, farm humor about groundwater hearings, ranch humor for the Sierra foothill cattle crowd and farm jokes that land equally well in Yuma lettuce fields. It is cheaper than a new well and nearly as refreshing.
Part newsroom, part radio dial, farm.FM bills itself as America's first satirical farm site and plays Tractor Tunes, its country music for farmers. Browse a farm.FM writer's back catalog to see the style.
Western Farm Press Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Western Farm Press: Tim Hearden joins staff - the magazine's staff announcement.
- Farm Press: Digital issues and company history - the 1979 expansion into Arizona and California.
- Missouri School of Journalism: William S. McNamee - the four Farm Press papers, including California Farm Press.
- USDA NASS Quick Stats - California and Arizona commodity statistics.
- USDA NASS: 2022 Census of Agriculture - national farm counts and sales.
Western Farm Press FAQ
When did Western Farm Press start?
Farm Press expanded into Arizona and California in 1979; the paper was known as California Farm Press.
Who publishes Western Farm Press?
Farm Progress, a division of Informa.
Who writes for Western Farm Press?
Todd Fitchette and Tim Hearden are among its main journalists.
Which states does Western Farm Press cover?
California and Arizona.
From almond orchards to desert lettuce fields, Western Farm Press brings the Farm Press tradition to the West's specialty crop growers.