Lenexa, Kan., (June 26, 2023) — Farm Journal announced that highly talented content team member Margy Eckelkamp has been named leader of the company’s Top Producer brand. Eckelkamp brings 17 years of creating best-in-class content for farmers and agriculture retail professionals to this new role, which includes continuing to serve as editor of The Scoop.
Her new role will include directing editorial content for Top Producer in print and online and developing the program for Top Producer Summit, the industry’s top educational event for large-scale farmers and ranchers.
“I look forward to stewarding these outstanding brands as they serve key audiences in agriculture — owners and managers of leading agricultural operations and the trusted advisers who guide them,” Eckelkamp said. “Top Producer is the leader in profiling the most creative, ingenious and successful farmers, ranchers and growers. As technology transforms what’s possible, consumer demands change and the global ag markets are ever more dynamic, we will elevate the service Top Producer provides to the business side of farming while remaining committed to the strong foundation of the magazine, events and brand.”
Eckelkamp spent the first seven years of her career reporting on agronomy, machinery and technology, which included leading the Farm Journal series of Corn College events and coordinating the Farm Journal Test Plots. She also helped relaunch and expand the Machinery Pete business to become the leading marketplace for farm equipment. Since 2016 her reporting has focused on the business side of agriculture since joining Farm Journal’s brand serving ag retailers, now The Scoop, which includes a multimedia portfolio across digital, print and the only podcast specifically serving the space.
The Top Producer brand was launched as Top Operator in 1984 on the heels of the farm crisis, and then transitioned to a standalone magazine carrying the Top Producer brand the year after. The Top Producer Summit has become the top-tier event, including specific content for women in agriculture and the next generation of farm leaders. The 2024 event is scheduled for Feb. 5 to 7, 2024, in Kansas City.
“Margy’s devotion to commercial producers will serve as an engine to elevate Top Producer’s print, digital and event portfolio,” said Charlene Finck, president of Farm Journal. “Her desire to build upon the brand’s focus on the business of farming and ranching while digging deeper into global economics and transformative technology, for example, is rooted in the desire to provide farmer, rancher and grower audiences with unparalleled insights, enabling them to prosper.”
About Farm Journal
Farm Journal is the nation’s leading business information and media company serving the agricultural market. Started 147 years ago with the preeminent Farm Journal magazine, the company serves the row crop, livestock, produce and retail sectors through branded websites, eNewsletters and phone apps; business magazines; live events including conferences, seminars, and tradeshows; nationally broadcasted television and radio programs; a robust mobile-text-marketing business and an array of data-driven, paid information products. Farm Journal also is the majority shareholder of the online equipment marketplace, Machinery Pete LLC. In 2010, the company established the non-profit, public charity, Farm Journal Foundation, dedicated to sustaining agriculture’s ability to meet the vital needs of a growing population through education and empowerment.