2025 October/November
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
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If, in your reading, you run across a drafty word you don’t recognize, consult our online Draft Dictionary.
Table of Contents
Departments
Joe Mischka writes about the encouraging trend of young people showing up to work horses and other draft animals at various field day events. He also discusses the change being made to the wall calendar lineup where the three wall calendars have been combined into one calendar featuring horses, mules, oxen and donkeys. Finally, he gives a roundup of most of the new equipment shown at Horse Progress Days 2025 with the exception of forecarts and power carts. Those will come in the next issue.
(contacts for breed registries and regional draft clubs)
(frequently updated online)
(please tell ‘em you saw it in Rural Heritage)
Features
A View From Holmes County
Mary Ann Sherman delivers her annual take on Horse Progress Days, providing notes on people she met, workshops and demonstrations and much more..
A Two-Acre Demo Field…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.
behind Tiller International’s Suffolk Punch team.
One of the seminars included a greenhouse
tour including tomato production.
HPD 2025 Seminars
Mary Ann Sherman gives us rundowns on a variety of seminars including: Understanding Soil Tests; Pastured Egg Production; Grazing Cattle; Greenhouse Tour; Raising Meat Goats; Pesticide-Free Home Orchards; and Soil Health.
Horse Progress Days 2025 International Meeting
Mary Ann Sherman reports on the noon meeting where international guests are welcomed.
Millroad Threshermen – Digital Edition
In our Digital Edition, we show photos from the Millroad Threshermen show in Altamont, Illinois.
Kevin Vering drives his three-abreast of Belgians while his wife, Deb, rides on the powercart built by Roger “Hot Rod” Titzer that powered the International square baler behind it. Behind the baler, Kevin Habing is ready to take the next bale with a couple younger assistants to help stack the wagon.
Field Equipment at 2025 Horse Progress Days
We deliver a listing of the equipment demonstrated at HPD 2025 with a photo, description and manufacturer information covering plows, weeders, cultivators, harrows, mowers, haymaking and bale-handling equipment, manure and fertilizer spreaders, sprayers, planters and seeders and produce equipment. Our December 2025/January 2026 issue will feature forecarts and power carts.
A sample page of equipment photos and descriptions.
National Stagecoach and Freight Wagon Association Conference – Digital Edition
In our Digital Edition, we show photos from the NWSFA conference held in Scottsbluff, Neb..
Mike Manley mows with his Buckskin Percheron cross team named Pete & Repeat.
Training Duke to Drive
Donn Hewes begins a series of articles detailing how he starts a young horse to drive.
Duke is led by intern Jazmine Albin.
Brush Creek Plow Day
Carrey Burnett plows with his team of American Brabant draft horses.
Combining a Community
Ag Vance Systems demonstrated their Comet 2.5 pull-type combine prototype.
Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion – Digital Edition
In our Digital Edition, we show photos from the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion in Rollag, Minn.
Dale Engen put four Belgians to a vintage oat binder, creating bundles that were then pitched onto a bundle rack and later fed to one of the mmany threshing machines running on the grounds.
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.