Five Star Publishing

What Five Star Publishing does

Five Star Publishing, Inc. is a privately held publishing company established in 1994 and headquartered in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The company produces three regional farm and livestock directories—Midwest Farm and Livestock, Eastern Farm and Livestock, and Southern Farm and Livestock—targeting farmers, ranchers, rural lifestylers, and purchasers of agricultural and heavy construction equipment across the United States. The publications combine editorial content covering industry news, equipment updates, and market information with a classified advertising marketplace connecting buyers and sellers in the agricultural and heavy construction industries.

The company operates with a lean team of nine staff members, including a General Manager, Managing Editor (co-owner), Advertising Sales Manager, four Advertising Representatives, Circulation/Administration, and Creative Design/Layout. Revenue is generated through two primary streams: recurring subscription and publication sales, and advertising sales to agricultural and construction industry buyers. Distribution is primarily direct sales via the in-house advertising team and subscription-based delivery of the regional publications across the United States.

There is no disclosed technology platform, no mobile application, no API, and no AI/ML capabilities. The company appears to be independently owned with no institutional investors or private equity backing disclosed. Tenure across the management team is exceptionally long—several staff members have 28-42 years of experience at the company—suggesting a stable, owner-operated business with limited recent strategic motion.

Name

Five Star Publishing

Legal name

Five Star Publishing, Inc

Website

https://fivestarpublishing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Five Star Publishing is a Fort Dodge, Iowa-based agricultural publisher founded in 1994 that produces three regional farm and livestock directories serving farmers, ranchers, rural lifestylers, and equipment purchasers across the Midwest, Eastern, and Southern United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Trade Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAJAEAM

Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Magazine Publishing (Consumer & B2B/Trade Magazines)

Keywords

• Agricultural publishing
• Trade magazines
• Farm publications
• Construction media
• Regional publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Dodge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Publication Sales and Subscriptions: Sells subscriptions and publications covering agricultural and construction industries distributed throughout the United States
2. Advertising Sales: Generates revenue through advertising sales in regional agricultural and livestock publications

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Five Star Publishing is a regional trade publisher that produces three agricultural and construction magazines—Midwest Farm and Livestock, Eastern Farm and Livestock, and Southern Farm and Livestock—distributed to farmers, ranchers, and construction professionals across the Midwest, Eastern, and Southern United States. Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Fort Dodge, Iowa, the company generates revenue through reader subscriptions and advertising sales from agriculture- and construction-related businesses.

Product overview

Five Star Publishing is a publishing company that produces regional agricultural and construction publications distributed throughout the United States. The company operates three regional farm and livestock directories (Midwest, Eastern, and Southern editions) that serve farmers, ranchers, rural lifestylers, and purchasers of agricultural equipment. The publications also include industry news, product announcements, and editorial content focused on production agriculture, rural living, and heavy construction industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Midwest Farm And Livestock Directory: Regional farm and livestock directory covering the Midwest United States
• Eastern Farm And Livestock Directory
• Southern Farm And Livestock Directory

Products and services

• Midwest Farm and Livestock A regional print magazine covering agricultural news, livestock information, and construction topics for farmers, ranchers, and construction professionals in the U.S. Midwest.
• Eastern Farm and Livestock A regional print magazine covering agricultural news, livestock information, and construction topics for farmers, ranchers, and construction professionals in the Eastern United States.
• Southern Farm and Livestock A regional print magazine covering agricultural news, livestock information, and construction topics for farmers, ranchers, and construction professionals in the Southern United States.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Farm Journal Media: One of the largest US agricultural media companies, publishing top-tier trade magazines (including the flagship Farm Journal), digital properties, and events. Directly comparable to Five Star Publishing in targeting agricultural producers and equipment buyers, but operates at national scale across multiple channels.
• DTN / Progressive Farmer: Operates the Progressive Farmer magazine alongside agriculture-focused news, market data, and weather services. Comparable to Five Star in serving crop and livestock producers with editorial content and advertising, though it adds digital data products that Five Star does not currently offer.
• Successful Farming (Meredith/Better Homes & Gardens): Long-running consumer and producer-facing agricultural publication serving US farmers and ranchers with editorial content and advertising. Comparable to Five Star's subscriber base and advertising-driven model, though at significantly larger national scale.

Direct peers

• Farm Progress: Publishes a portfolio of regional agricultural magazines and digital properties serving crop and livestock producers across multiple US geographies. Closely comparable to Five Star Publishing's regional farm and livestock directories in both content focus (production agriculture, equipment) and geographic-coverage model.
• Hoard's Dairyman: Specialty trade publication serving dairy producers with editorial content and industry advertising. Comparable to Five Star's livestock-focused publications in serving a defined production-agriculture audience via print + subscription + advertising model.
• Midwest Messenger: Regional agricultural publication covering crop and livestock production in the upper Midwest. Closely comparable to Five Star's Midwest Farm and Livestock edition in geographic focus, audience (farmers and ranchers), and print-plus-advertising revenue model.
• Hay & Forage Grower: Trade publication targeting forage and hay producers, part of the larger agricultural magazine landscape. Comparable to Five Star in serving crop and livestock producers with specialized editorial content and equipment-focused advertising.
• The Cattleman (Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association): Regional livestock trade publication serving cattle producers in the Southern US. Comparable to Five Star's Southern Farm and Livestock edition in audience, regional livestock focus, and advertising-supported trade publishing model.

Others

• Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association: Industry association producing editorial content, directories, and member communications serving agricultural equipment manufacturers and dealers. Comparable to Five Star as a trade information publisher targeting the agricultural equipment purchasing audience.

Emerging players

• AgWeb (Farm Journal): Digital-first agricultural news and market information platform. Represents the type of digital-native competition that could erode Five Star's print advertising base if Five Star fails to expand beyond its print-first model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/fivestar
• Facebookfacebook.com/fivestarpublishing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Five Star Publishing