Reading Room – Current issue

Vol 50, No 4
2025 August/September

Rural Heritage is a bimonthly journal in support of farming and logging with draft horses, mules, and oxen. The 2025 August/September issue was mailed to subscribers on July 30, 2025. Below is this issue’s annotated Table of Contents, with a link to a full feature article to showcase the good reading delivered to your door every other month when you
Subscribe to
 Rural Heritage.

If, in your reading, you run across a drafty word you don’t recognize, consult our online Draft Dictionary.


Table of Contents

Departments

Publishers Post
Joe Mischka writes about how social media can help people network, find out about animals and equipment for sale and get general questions answered. At the same time, it has always been a source for misinformation and with the advent of Artificial Intelligence, it is getting much worse. He also writes about some of the new equipment shown at Horse Progress Days 2025.
J C Allen Archives
Vintage photos of rural life by renowned photographer JC Allen including photos of from our new book, Farm Kids.
Selections from our extensive catalog of books and videos on draft animal farming, logging, self-sufficient living and much more.
Associations and Breeders Directory
(contacts for breed registries and regional draft clubs)
Events Calendar
(frequently updated online)
Our Advertiser Directory
(please tell ‘em you saw it in Rural Heritage)

Features

What’s more beautiful than a mare and foal in pasture?

Is Foaling for You?

Ralph Rice discusses the pleasures and pitfalls of foaling.


Luxury of Using Oxen…click on title to read entire article.

Rob Collins writes about the some of the benefits of working with oxen and how those blessings are manifested in training.


A Bakers Dozen More Lessons Learned From an Old Timer

Jacqueline Courteau recounts many more of the lessons she learned from her father, Dick Courteau. Illustrations by Maeve Courteau.


Forecart Update

Donn Hewes talks about some of the alterations he has made to an old Pioneer forecast.

Donn raised the pole receivers rather than add a “Z” bracket.

Mud, Mud, Everywhere Mud

Donn Hewes writes about how he deals with wet, muddy periods in his paddocks and pastures.

Horses stand on the concrete in the barnyard.

Tales from Carter County — The Mares Part 2

Jerry Hicks concludes his story about a time when a crafty horse trader got the better of him with the sale of a team of mares.

Royal KC Draft Horse Show

After a 25-year absence, draft horses return to the Kansas City Royal complex.

Doyle Prawl of Hamilton, Missouri, competes at the KC Royal with his mule team in log skidding.

Brush Creek Plow Day

Teamsters from around the midwest and plains states gather to plow, harrow, load logs and more at the 8th annual event hosted by the Carrey Burnett farm..
Carrey Burnett plows with his team of American Brabant draft horses.

HPD 2025 – New and Interesting

While our regular roundup of Horse Progress Days will be the next issue, here are some of the more interesting items that were there.
Ag Vance Systems demonstrated their Comet 2.5 pull-type combine prototype.

Lyndon Farm Team

We feature photos by Fiery Grace Imaging of the 3rd annual Farm Team event held by the Lyndon (Kansas) Saddle Club.


Manning Farm Team Show

The Iowa Farm Team Challenge held an event in Manning, Iowa.

Installing an Earthwork

Volunteers, artists and ISU faculty gather at the Illinois State University Horticulture Center in Normal, Ill. To begin construction on a large native grass and pollinator earthwork.
Ruth Burke and her team of oxen use a disc harrow on the ground at the earthwork installation.


The Reading Room is updated with each new issue. If you wish to be notified by email when new contents are posted, please Contact Us. If you wish to receive Rural Heritage in your mailbox every other month, please Subscribe.