Out standing in our field
Good work
Magazine design
Early one fall morning, George Hendrych packed up the station wagon, loaded Shirley and the kids, and fled before another harsh Michigan winter could notice we were gone.
Although I don't remember the trip, I'm sure I was an annoyance to my older brother and sister as we traveled across the country. Up ahead was our new home in a quiet Southern California farm community hugging the ocean north of Los Angeles.
From then on, I can remember my dad waking up early every morning, and like clockwork, having his egg breakfast and going to work on a farm.
But Dad wasn’t a farmer.
Disciplined agile delivery
My dad was one of the original computer people, a short-sleeve shirt IBM guy, who began working with mainframe computers in the 1960s. Dad’s data processing work on the farm—most notably a massive payroll operation handled by computer rather than by hand—was an innovation. He worked hard and was proud of his contribution.
Farming, whether you operated a tractor or an IBM mainframe computer, was good work.
Fresh picked
Right out of college, I began working as a freelance graphic designer for the Ventura County Farm Bureau. Yes, this apple fell pretty close to the tree.
I worked with Betsy Chess, who was the publisher of Farm Bureau's quarterly agricultural magazine, The Broadcaster.
Those were the days of manual paste-up, Velox prints, and bluelines.
We’ve seen stuff
Together, farming and I have experienced droughts, innovations, controversies, and bumper crops. Two steps forward and occasionally two steps right back.
We've seen the digital revolution that transformed the design process also transform farming, creating efficiencies and sustainable practices that produce hope for a bountiful future.
Every issue
Today, the magazine is known as Central Coast Farm & Ranch. Every issue is a clear-eyed celebration of hard work and a tribute to the noble field and field workers who sustain us.
My wife and kids know when I'm working on the magazine. Like clockwork, I wake up early and get right to work. I can't help it. There are new stories to tell.
Because after all, farming, whether you operate an IBM mainframe or a Mac, is good work.
A new look
The excerpt above is from a recent magazine redesign project, prompted by an effort to make the traditional farming industry magazine more appealing to a farm-to-table consumer audience.
It’s a tough season for magazines. But this one keeps on going thanks to the support of forward-thinking Farm Bureau leadership and the magazine’s talented journalists: publishers, editors, writers, and photographers. They ensure that, even in the most difficult seasons, the story of ag and its people is told.
Credits
Magazine design: Jeff Hendrych