After more than 10 years of ownership, Rural Business and Australian Tree Crop magazines have been sold by the owners of Ag Communication Solutions, John Forrest and Jeff Gilbert.

The new owners are McPherson Media Group (MMG), an independent publishing group based in Shepparton, Victoria. MMG has a long publishing history and has been providing information to regional Australia for over 140 years.

MMG’s owners are strong believers in communication through traditional print platforms with a broad platform of both newspapers and magazines. They are, however, also innovators in digital, mobile, and social media.

“Many of the current readers of Rural Business and Australian Tree Crop would already be familiar with MMG through their involvement with newspapers across the Goulburn Valley and Southern Riverina, as well as their magazines serving business, health, and agriculture,” said Damian Trezise, managing director of MMG.

“We are excited about adding both magazines to the MMG portfolio and will be maintaining the quality that readers and advertisers of Rural Business and Australian Tree Crop have come to expect.

“With Rural Business celebrating its 40th birthday last year, MMG recognises the importance of these magazines to the rural and agricultural community and intend to build on the legacy that John and Jeff have established.

“To help ensure a smooth transition of ownership, both John and Jeff will be working closely with MMG over the coming months – so essentially it will be business as usual during the transition period,” Mr Trezise said.

Mr Forrest said, “Jeff and I value the relationships we have built over the past 10 years and know that MMG will build on that and bring a new energy and dynamic to both publications. We look forward to working with MMG to achieve that and see both publications get even better!”