Sara Schafer joins Rural Missouri staff as new editor
For the first time in 34 years, Rural Missouri has a new editor at the helm. She is Sara Schafer, who joined the staff May 1. Sara comes to Rural Missouri from Farm Journal. For the past 15 years she has been an editor, writer, proofreader, event planner and team cheerleader for the national network of farm publications. She served as editor of its Top Producermagazine and Farm Journal’s content manager.
“I am so excited to be on the Rural Missouri team,” Sara says. “Like many of you, this magazine has always been one of my favorites. I am so honored to follow the legendary Jim McCarty and join the talented team to share the interesting and inspiring stories of our great state.”
The first female editor in Rural Missouri’s 75-year- history, Sara is a farm girl from Jamestown. She is no stranger to Missouri’s electric cooperatives. In 2002, she represented Co-Mo Connect, Tipton, on the Rural Electric Youth Tour to Washington, D.C.
From that experience she was recruited as an intern for Boone Electric Cooperative, Columbia. Upon graduating from the University of Missouri with a degree in ag journalism, Sara joined the Boone Electric Cooperative Communications Department full time. She worked at the Columbia-based electric cooperative for four years, long enough to meet her husband, Eric, who is the cooperative’s building maintenance supervisor. Together they have a 5-year-old daughter, Ivy.
“Sara has a solid, rural background growing up in Jamestown, yet she has traveled the globe for work and pleasure,” says Vicki Kemna, Boone Electric assistant manager who worked with Sara during her time at the co-op. “She believes in the mission of rural electric cooperatives and brings a unique perspective as a former Youth Tour delegate and distribution co-op employee.”
Sara replaces Jim, who remains on the staff as editor emeritus. Jim joined the staff in November 1985, and was named editor in 1989. He has served as editor longer than anyone else in the history of the publication. The June 2023 issue was his 450th edition of Rural Missouri. He is a 1984 graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. In 2017 he was inducted into the Missouri Photojournalism Hall of Fame.
Under his direction Rural Missouri, which has an audience of 581,000-plus readers, was honored with four of its six George W. Haggard Memorial Journalism Awards.
“I have the utmost respect for Sara and the entire staff of Rural Missouri,” Jim says. “I think any changes you see in the magazine’s future will all be for the better.”