What Agweek does

Agweek is a regional agricultural news publication founded on August 5, 1985, that delivers crops, livestock, markets, policy, weather, and farm-finance coverage to farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness professionals across the Upper Midwest — specifically North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa. It operates as a division of Forum Communications Company, a family-owned media company held by the Black/Marcil family since 1917; Agweek's corporate/legal parent is Forum Communications Company (corporation, North Dakota, USA), and the publication's headquarters are in Fargo, ND (101 5th St. N). The publication runs a multi-platform product set — Agweek.com (website), a weekly print newspaper, an e-paper edition, iOS and Android mobile apps, AgweekTV (a television program with dedicated anchor/producer staff), podcasts including the Agweek Market Wrap, and curated email newsletters — supported by a content management system with standard digital publishing capabilities and no disclosed proprietary technology, AI/ML features, or patents.

Agweek monetizes through two primary revenue streams: recurring subscriptions (a Print + Digital bundle at $64 billed annually and a digital-only tier at $0.99/month for the first 3 months then $4.99/month) and advertising sold through Forum Communications' shared platform covering digital, print, TV, video services, and classifieds. Its go-to-market is a direct-to-consumer subscription motion targeting SMB-segment agricultural producers and agribusiness professionals in the Upper Midwest, supplemented by distribution through mobile app stores (global reach, regional use) and a regional classifieds/jobs marketplace. Editorial coverage is produced by a small team of approximately 8–10 staff including an editor (Jenny Schlecht, in role since October 2019), a news editor, a publisher, three reporters, an AgweekTV anchor/executive producer, and a TV producer, with content syndicated or supplemented by partnerships with Reuters, Tribune News Service, Minnesota Public Radio, North Dakota News Cooperative, South Dakota News Watch, and Kaiser Health News. The publication integrates localized agronomic weather data from the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN) and participates in the Trust Project for credibility indicators. There are no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or institutional investors; ownership remains entirely with the Black/Marcil family through Forum Communications Company.

Name

Agweek

Legal name

Forum Communications Company

Website

https://agweek.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Agweek is a regional agricultural news publication covering crops, livestock, markets, policy, and weather for farmers and agribusiness professionals across North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa. It operates a multi-platform portfolio (website, print, TV, e-paper, mobile apps, podcasts, newsletters) under Forum Communications Company, monetizing via subscriptions and advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Forks

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Print and digital subscriptions billed annually or monthly, providing access to Agweek.com, e-paper, and AgweekTV content
2. Print and Digital Advertising: Advertising options including digital advertising, print advertising, TV advertising, video services, and classifieds through Forum Communications advertising platform

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Agweek is a regional agricultural news publication that delivers multi-platform content covering crops, livestock, markets, policy, weather, and farm finances for the Upper Midwest. The product portfolio includes a print newspaper, the Agweek.com website, an e-paper digital edition, mobile applications, AgweekTV broadcast program, podcasts, and email newsletters, distributed through annual subscriptions and advertising.

Product overview

Agweek is an agricultural news publication offering a multi-platform content portfolio consisting of the Agweek.com website (core digital news platform), Agweek TV (television program), E-Paper (digital edition), mobile applications for iOS and Android, podcasts including the Agweek Market Wrap, and email newsletters. The publication covers agriculture news across North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa, with sections dedicated to crops, livestock, markets, policy, weather, and farm finances. Subscriptions are available in print+digital bundles and digital-only tiers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agweek.com Digital News Website The primary digital news website delivering agriculture news, markets information, weather updates, policy coverage, and lifestyle content for the Upper Midwest region including North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa.
• Agweek Print Newspaper Weekly print edition of Agweek delivered to subscriber mailboxes, covering crops, livestock, markets, policy, weather, and farm finances for the Upper Midwest.
• AgweekTV Television news program covering agricultural stories, featuring drone applications, livestock updates, weather forecasting, and farm business features for the agricultural community.
• Agweek E-Paper Digital edition of the print newspaper allowing subscribers to read the full publication online with interactive features.
• Agweek Mobile Apps (iOS and Android) Native mobile applications available on Apple App Store and Google Play Store for accessing Agweek e-paper and digital content on mobile devices.
• Agweek Podcasts Audio content including the Agweek Market Wrap and other agricultural news podcasts available for streaming and download.
• Agweek Email Newsletters Curated email newsletters delivering agricultural news, market updates, and weather information directly to subscribers.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Forum Communications CompanycoreOthersParent company that owns and operates Agweek as a division. Forum Communications is a family-owned network of community-driven newsrooms, award-winning broadcast stations, and new media products. All editorial decisions are made locally by local editors. The company has been owned and operated by the Black/Marcil family since 1917.
• ReutersminorOthersInternational news agency providing news coverage in over 16 languages reaching billions of people worldwide. Agweek uses Reuters content as one of its news service providers.
• Tribune News ServiceminorOthersOperated jointly by the Tribune Company, Tribune News Service serves more than 1,200 media clients across the globe with 600-plus contributors worldwide.
• Minnesota Public RadiominorOthersProduces programming for radio, digital and live audiences, operating a 46-station radio network serving nearly all of Minnesota and parts of surrounding states.
• North Dakota News CooperativeminorOthersNon-profit journalism venture covering the state of North Dakota, started in 2021.
• South Dakota News WatchminorOthersIndependent non-profit committed to reporting important statewide stories in South Dakota, from agriculture to education, public safety to politics. Founded in 2017.
• Kaiser Health NewsminorOthersNonprofit news organization covering healthcare policy and politics at the federal and state levels.
• Trust ProjectminorOthersGlobal network of news organizations building Trust Indicators and working with technology platforms to affirm journalism's commitment to transparency, accuracy, inclusion and fairness. Agweek participates in the Trust Project.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Farm Journal: Farm Journal is one of the largest US agricultural media companies, publishing Farm Journal magazine and operating AgWeb.com. It is directly comparable to Agweek as a multi-platform agricultural news brand serving farmers and agribusinesses, though at significantly larger national scale.
• Successful Farming: Successful Farming (part of Dotdash Meredith / Agriculture.com) is a long-running agricultural media brand delivering print, digital, and video content to US farmers. Directly comparable to Agweek's content verticals covering crops, livestock, markets, and farm operations.
• DTN / Progressive Farmer: DTN provides agricultural news, market data, and weather intelligence to farmers and agribusinesses, including the Progressive Farmer publication. Directly comparable in combining editorial ag news with market and weather data targeting professional producers.
• The Fence Post: The Fence Post is a regional agricultural publication covering the High Plains and Rocky Mountain West with print, digital, and event offerings. Comparable to Agweek as a competing regional ag-news brand serving a similar farmer/agribusiness audience.
• Dakota Farmer: Dakota Farmer is a regional agricultural magazine published by Farm Progress covering the Dakotas. Directly comparable to Agweek in covering the same core Upper Midwest geography, crops (corn, soybeans, wheat), and livestock topics for a farmer audience.
• Minnesota Farm Guide: Minnesota Farm Guide is a regional agricultural publication serving Minnesota farmers with print and digital content on crops, livestock, and markets. Directly comparable as a regional ag-news competitor overlapping Agweek's core Minnesota coverage area.
• Iowa Farmer Today: Iowa Farmer Today is a regional agricultural newspaper serving Iowa producers with news, market, and policy coverage. Directly comparable as a regional ag-news outlet overlapping Agweek's Iowa coverage area with similar subscription and advertising business model.
• Wisconsin State Farmer: Wisconsin State Farmer is a long-running regional agricultural newspaper covering Wisconsin farms with print and digital editions. Comparable to Agweek in editorial scope, audience (Upper Midwest farmers), and subscription-based business model.

Regional players

• High Plains Journal: High Plains Journal is a regional agricultural publication serving Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and surrounding states. Comparable in editorial focus and business model to Agweek but operates in a different US agricultural geography without direct overlap.

Others

• Reuters Agriculture: Reuters provides international agricultural news and commodity coverage that Agweek actually licenses. Comparable as an ag-news supplier upstream of regional publishers, and a broad-incumbent reference point for global ag journalism scale.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AgweekMagazine
• Facebookfacebook.com/Agweekmagazine
• Instagraminstagram.com/agweek
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agweek

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Agweek