Joel Bleifuss
Joel Bleifuss is Barn Raiser Editor & Publisher and Board President of Barn Raising Media Inc. He is a descendent of German and Scottish farmers who immigrated to Wisconsin and South Dakota in the 19th Century. Bleifuss was born and raised in Fulton, Mo., a town on the edge of the Ozarks. He graduated from the University of Missouri in 1978 and got his start in journalism in 1983 at his hometown daily, the Fulton Sun. Bleifuss joined the staff of In These Times magazine in October 1986, stepping down as Editor & Publisher in April 2022, to join his fellow barn raisers in getting Barn Raiser off the ground.
Latest articles
page 5 of 5How Two Iowa Librarians Are Standing Up for Readers
Rural libraries build community and push back against censorship

When Moms for Liberty Cancelled a School Librarian’s Mother’s Day Lesson, Concerned Parents Fought Back
Here is what they said at the Hamilton County, Tennessee, school board meeting

Changing Rural America One County at a Time
A Wisconsin schoolteacher shares her strategy for turning out progressive voters

Mississippi River Dispatch
Ringing in the New Year from Oquawka to Clarksville

Welcome to Barn Raiser: Your independent source for rural and small town news
A letter from the editors
