August/September 2026
Rural Heritage is a bimonthly journal in support of farming and logging with draft horses, mules, and oxen. The 2026 June/July issue was mailed to subscribers on May 22, 2026. 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 his yearly tradition of backpacking the Wisconsin Ice Age Trail with his nephew, Boyd. He also wrote about the passing of Darwin Brink, who was a renowned Iowa draft horse teamster with a long history of promoting horsemanship in the state.
(contacts for breed registries and regional draft clubs)
(frequently updated online)
(please tell ‘em you saw it in Rural Heritage)
Features
Whoah!
Ralph Rice writes about the importance of teaching a horse to stop and stand on command and how he trains horses to obey the “whoah” command.
Permaculture and its Design Principles
Jenifer Morrissey explains how permaculture design fits in with self-sufficient, regenerative systems — observing the land, soil, water and existing vegetation to design systems that increase productivity and ecological health.
Teamster Ben Klopchin…click on title to read entire article.
Anna Knapp-Pech tells the story of Ben Klopchin and his working steer Tony.
Tales From Carter County: Old Bill’s Tire Race
Jerry Hicks recounts the story of a horse his uncle owned named Bill who was generally well behaved but for two spectacular occasions.
Hewes Making Hay
Joe Mischka writes about his visit with Donn Hewes while he was mowing, then tedding, hay .
2026 HPD Highlights
Joe Mischka lists some of the highlights at the 2026 Horse Progress Days event. He shows and writes about a few of the new horse-drawn farm implements displayed there.
The End of an Era
Roy Deppa recently lost one of the members of his two-horse team. That loss prompted him to realize he had turned a corner in his draft horse life.
Montana Mule Days
Joe Mischka writes a brief story about the 2026 Montana Mule Days in Hamilton, Mont., and features some of the photos he took there.
Drew Conroy
Rob Collins interviews Oxen teamster Drew Conroy..
 The story of King Charles
Cameron Howard tells the story of the recent importation of Suffolk Punch stallion, King Charles, from the England.
 Growing Tomatoes in Homemade Hoophouses
Chiara Dowell writes an article about how they grow tomatoes in hoophouses they made themselves.
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.