The Hoosier Farmer

If you have read a story in an Indiana Farm Bureau publication in the past 30 years, it was most likely written by Kathleen Dutro. Being the voice of the members and sharing their stories with others is a role Dutro never took lightly. 

“I honestly feel a huge sense of responsibility to represent them as being who they actually are. I want people who read it to at least get a hint of what kind of person they are. I don't want to make it too rosy, but not too much doom and gloom either. Most people's lives are not one or the other. Their lives are a mix,” she said.

An avid reader, Dutro knew at a young age she wanted to write.

“Since I was a little kid, I wanted to be a writer, and journalism seemed to be a way that I could write and actually earn a living,” she said.

A native of Apple Valley, California, Dutro graduated from San José State University. She spent three and a half years at The Desert Trail newspaper in Twentynine Palms, California, where she started as a reporter and quickly became the editor.

“It was in Twentynine Palms that I met my husband, Russell, who was stationed at the Marine Corps Base there. He was from Indiana and that's how we ended up here,” she said.

In Indiana, Dutro worked for a year at a magazine publishing house called Construction Digest. She then landed a job at Indiana AgriNews.

“They hired me because I was interested in covering the General Assembly, which I did while also being the editor,” she said. “I didn't have a farm background. I became an agricultural reporter because I was given the opportunity to specialize. That's one big change in the journalism industry – it’s much harder to develop a specialty these days.”

During her nine years at AgriNews, Dutro met Tom Asher, who eventually became the team leader of INFB’s marketing team and hired her for his team. Since coming to Farm Bureau in 1995, Dutro has had multiple positions, all revolving around producing content and editing INFB’s publications. For a period of time, she acted as Farm Bureau’s media relations specialist.

“I've become a much better photographer, thanks to Farm Bureau. I also believe I've become a much better writer, because before Farm Bureau I did not have nearly as many opportunities to write features,” she said.

The number of stories she’s written over her career are too numerous to count. At INFB, Dutro was responsible for writing, editing and managing The Hoosier Farmer and My Indiana Home print editions, and four digital newsletters.

“Because I've been around so long and written so many stories it's amazing to me, really, how different they can be,” she said. “They're all different, every single one. I believe everyone does have a story. There's a million stories and I've only told a few of them, but I do my best.”

While each story is different, so too are its subjects.

“Not all farmers are all that talkative,” she said. “You’ve got to just keep poking around until you find something that they're willing to and want to talk about. Once you do, and once they start, then it's fine. But I’ve had quite a few experiences that required probing a little bit. I just keep poking at them until I run into something that they want to talk about and I want to write about.”

Tough subjects also come in the smallest sizes.

“I remember shooting a young farmer family photo, and this boy was just a toddler, and he was in a bad, bad mood. You could not get him to cooperate to get his photo taken. He cried, sniveled and whined. The way we got his photo is we put him on a swing, and that was the only way we could get him not to cry. About 15 years later his mother asked, ‘Do you remember?’ Next to her stood her very tall son all grown up,” she said.

Being out, visiting and talking with members is what Dutro will miss most.

“That's my very favorite part of the job,” she said. “I'm also going to really miss my team in marketing. I'm going to miss that daily interaction with people who are all trying to help each other do our jobs better.”

Dutro officially retired from INFB on Dec. 1. She plans to spend more time with Russell at their Madison County home and maybe do a little traveling.

“My first plan is to just enjoy December and Christmas and not have to worry about publication deadlines and things like that,” she said. “Then I'm going to take a couple months after that to do various home projects.”

She also plans to continue writing during her retirement.

“I have a couple of books that I’d like to write, nonfiction books. I'm going to write them, whether anybody reads them or not. I hope to do a little freelancing writing features, and that will be my opportunity to get out and talk to people,” Dutro said.

Contact Editor

Robert Herrington

(317) 692-7871

RHerrington@infb.org