Rural Heritage December 2025/January 2026

Publisher's Post T here is a lot to talk about this issue. To begin with, we are thrilled to welcome back to our magazine a couple of writers who have been absent for a while. Jenifer Morrissey began writing for us in 2009 and has taken a year-long hiatus. We are so pleased she is back writing for us again. In this issue, she tells the story of one rancher's work to bring water to his part of the world. In the next issue, we'll have a story about seeds: Seeds planted in the hearts and minds of young people, and the amazing variations among seeds due to their environment. Needless to say, they are great stories. We have to go back a little farther to find the last story written for us by Anna Knapp-Peck. Her last contribution was in 2015. In this issue, she launches a new series about oxen teamsters and how they train and use their animals. We expect it to be a fascinating collection of articles. Speaking of oxen articles, we have a great one in this issue written by Mary Osmer, a senior at the University of New Hampshire, where she selected and began training a team of steers as a final project before graduation. In her article, she covers how to choose, care for and train a young team of cattle. We are delighted she plans to send more stories our way about using oxen. • • • • I f you haven't purchased your Rural Heritage Draft Animal Wall Calendar yet, there is still time. You can find them on our bookstore page (page 83) and in our advertisement on the back cover. As I explained in last month's column, we've decided to combine our three wall calendars (draft horses, mule and donkey) into one — and throw in oxen for good measure. We've been very pleased with the feedback we've received. Most people appreciate the diversity of animals on the calendar. • • • • I n his column about all things MODA (Midwest Ox Drovers Association) and TIllers International, Rob Collins lets us know that Tiller's International has hired a new Executive Director. I ran out of room to put her picture in Rob's column, so I am putting it here. Megan Yankee was hired last summer and has hit the

Megan Yankee

ground running, Rob says. Tillers has always been a leader in bringing resources to farmers in developing countries as well as offering classes to teach heritage skills and crafts such as blacksmithing, woodworking, working with draft animals and much more. We look forward to seeing Megan's impact at this important organization. • • • • I spent a lot of late September and most of October on the road, visiting the ABA Rendezvous in Wisconsin, setting up and manning a booth at the Waverly Midwest Horse Sale, then to Tennessee for the Cedar Creek Plow Day, Wisconsin again for the Suffolk Gathering and Northern Minnesota to spend time with Tim and Doreen Carroll at their Carriage Service Operation in Duluth. I finished the month heading to Steve Haste's Open House in Liberty, Ky., and the US Plowing match in Olympia, Ky. I have a trip coming up soon to Ralph and Connie Rice in northeast Ohio, where Ralph has made a lot of improvements to his farm setup. Some of these stories are in this issue. Watch for shows on RFD-TV featuring most of them. — jm

December 2025/January 2026

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