Sometimes the songwriters are right. To paraphrase my point, “Everything old is new again.”

When I began my tour of duty as a farm editor in January 2000, the paper was called Farmweek and my bosses lived about four blocks north of the office. Then, as of May 2000, Mayhill Publications sold the paper to DMG World Media of London, England, and my bosses were an ocean away. A year later, in May 2001, Farmweek became Farm World.

On Sept. 16, Farm World’s owners returned a little closer to home. On that day, DMG officially sold Farm World – and its sister publications AntiqueWeek and The Auction Exchange and Collector’s News – to MidCountry Media, Inc., which is owned by Hoosiers Gary and Merry Thoe.

Merry is the daughter of former owners Tom and Peggy Mayhill of Knightstown, Ind. Gary is their son-in-law, and he worked for Mayhill Publications from 1982-2000 in various capacities – eventually as president. Gary was involved in selling the newspapers to DMG more than nine years ago.

Although there is an obvious family connection to Mayhill Publications, Gary and Merry are quick to remind readers and advertisers that MidCountry Media is a new business that will stand on its own. The MidCountry Media business plan is to give its newspapers the resources they need to continue their growth patterns.

Otherwise, little else is expected to change. Farm World will still be printed and mailed from its Knightstown, Ind. press building. No staff changes are expected, and the paper’s commitment to excellent customer service remains a guiding principal.

And Gary’s experience in publications is an added benefit. In addition to his years with Mayhill, he has been working as President of Emmis Publishing, which owns several city/regional magazines including Indianapolis Monthly, Atlanta magazine, Cincinnati magazine, Los Angeles magazine, Texas Monthly and Orange Coast magazine.

For some, the question of “why did DMG want to sell?” still hovers. That is fairly easy to answer.

When DMG bought Mayhill, it owned many magazine titles, but the majority of the business was focused on producing quality trade shows in a variety of niches from oil and gas production to surfing and extreme sports to office furniture.

Two years ago, DMG made the decision to sell its consumer-business assets and focus more on its business-to-business and high-end trade shows.

As for me, I will miss my DMG bosses and their British accents. They were good teachers, and it is unlikely that we would have the Farm World Expo without their efforts and expertise.

But like many employees around here, I’m very excited for the future here, too. In each meeting with Gary and Merry, I have been convinced that there is a passion for producing top-notch publications.

Those of us at Farm World feel fortunate these days. In a business climate in which many newspapers are cutting staff and services and flee for cheaper options with online content, we have the opportunity to invest in our print publications. This is an exciting time.

Please join us in welcoming Gary and Merry Thoe to our farm community.

Published on Sept. 30, 2009