Farm Show Magazine

What Farm Show Magazine does

FARM SHOW Magazine is a privately held agricultural publishing company founded in January 1977 and operated under the legal entity FARM SHOW Publishing from Lakeville, Minnesota. Its core product is a bi-monthly magazine (currently Volume 50, Issue 3, 2026) built on a distinctive reader-submitted content model in which farmers and ranchers contribute their own shop inventions, time-saving tips, best/worst equipment buys, maintenance shortcuts, and money-making ideas, supplemented by editorial coverage of agricultural news and farm equipment reviews. Supporting products include the 4-volume Encyclopedia of Made It Myself Ideas book series, themed book collections (Great Shop Ideas, Money-Making Ideas, Energy Saving Ideas, Gardens To Greenhouses, Articulated Marvels), digital archive editions on DVD-ROM and USB drive, instant PDF downloads of individual issues, and a free searchable 50-year archive containing more than 25,000 invention stories accessible to subscribers.

The technology foundation is a straightforward content-publishing platform rather than a proprietary software product: a website (farmshow.com) hosting a search archive, store, subscription management, video library, and editorial content; consumer-grade payment integrations (Amazon Pay, PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express); and a third-party shop backend (SimpleCirc) handling merchandising and the Harvest Member subscription SKU. The company does not disclose any proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capability, mobile app, API, or SDK. Video content is crowdsourced via reader submissions of YouTube and Vimeo links, and the company maintains its own YouTube channel, Facebook page, Twitter/X account, and Pinterest presence. Two free classified-ad sub-brands, BestFarmBuys.com and AntiqueFarmEquipment.com, extend the ecosystem into farm equipment marketplace verticals.

The business model combines recurring revenue with transactional one-time sales. Recurring revenue comes from magazine subscriptions (new, renewal, gift; multi-year discounts available; bundled with free 50-year archive access) plus a Harvest Member premium subscription SKU. One-time revenue streams include $4.95 instant PDF downloads, $14.95 encyclopedia volumes, $39.95 DVD-ROMs, USB drive archive editions, themed book collections, and a free classified advertising platform (monetization model for the classifieds is not explicitly disclosed beyond 'free' positioning, suggesting community/brand value rather than direct ad sales). Go-to-market is driven by content marketing through the website, YouTube channel, bi-weekly email newsletter, and free issue requests, supported by organic social and reader referral via the Tell Your Story submission flow. Customers are U.S. and Canadian farmers and ranchers as the primary audience and farm equipment enthusiasts as a secondary segment; there are no named enterprise customers, no B2B contracts, and no disclosed advertising anchors, making the revenue base structurally long-tail.

Name

Farm Show Magazine

Legal name

FARM SHOW Publishing

Website

https://farmshow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Farm Show Magazine is a privately held, subscription-based agricultural publishing company founded in 1977 that produces a bi-monthly print and digital magazine of farmer-submitted shop inventions, equipment tips, and money-saving ideas for U.S. and Canadian farmers and ranchers, monetized via recurring subscriptions, digital downloads, book sales, and free classified-ad sub-brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakeville

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, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Recurring subscription revenue from magazine subscriptions (new, renewal, gift). Subscribers receive access to current issues and archives.
2. Digital Product Sales: Instant PDF downloads of individual issues for $4.95. Digital format allows immediate access without physical delivery.
3. Book and Encyclopedia Sales: Sale of compiled books and encyclopedias featuring best stories from past issues, including 4-volume Encyclopedia series ($14.95 each) and topical collections.
4. DVD-ROM Product Sales: Sale of Farm Show Magazine on DVD-ROM ($39.95), containing archived content in physical media format.
5. Classified Advertising: Free online classified ad platforms (BestFarmBuys.com, AntiqueFarmEquipment.com) operated by Farm Show Magazine to connect buyers and sellers of farm equipment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Farm Show Magazine publishes a bi-monthly print and digital magazine featuring reader-submitted farm shop inventions, time-saving tips, money-making ideas, and farm equipment reviews. The company also sells compiled book and encyclopedia series, digital archives on DVD-ROM and USB drive, themed book collections, and operates free online classified ad websites (BestFarmBuys.com and AntiqueFarmEquipment.com) for farm equipment buyers and sellers.

Product overview

FARM SHOW Magazine operates as a publication platform offering both print and digital products. The core offering is the bi-monthly FARM SHOW Magazine featuring farmer-submitted shop inventions, time-saving tips, and farm equipment reviews. Supporting products include digital archives on DVD-ROM and USB Drive, plus the Encyclopedia of Made It Myself Ideas book series (4 volumes covering 2000-2009 inventions), themed book collections (Great Shop Ideas, Money-Making Ideas, Energy Saving Ideas), and a video library with user-submitted content. Subscriptions provide access to 50 years of archives with over 25,000 invention stories. Products are available via digital download, physical media, and print formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BestFarmBuys.com: FREE online classified ads website for buying and selling new and used farm equipment.
• AntiqueFarmEquipment.com

Products and services

• FARM SHOW Magazine Bi-monthly print and digital magazine featuring farmer-submitted shop inventions, time-saving tips, money-making ideas, and farm equipment reviews, targeted at farmers, ranchers, and agricultural enthusiasts in the US and Canada.
• FARM SHOW on DVD-ROM Digital archive of FARM SHOW magazine content distributed on DVD-ROM for offline access to historical issues and inventions, priced at $39.95.
• FARM SHOW on USB Drive Digital archive of FARM SHOW magazine content distributed on USB drive for convenient offline access to historical issues.
• Encyclopedia of Made It Myself Ideas - Vol. I 482-page book featuring over 1,200 clever farm shop inventions from 2000 to 2004, indexed and cross-referenced, including The Top 30 Shop Inventions from the past 30 years. Volume I of the 4-Volume Encyclopedia Series, priced at $14.95 plus shipping.
• Encyclopedia of Made It Myself Ideas - Vol. II 482-page book featuring over 1,200 farm invention stories from 2005 to 2009, indexed and cross-referenced. Volume II of the 4-Volume Encyclopedia Series, priced at $14.95 plus shipping.
• Encyclopedia of Made It Myself Ideas - Vol. III Third volume in the Encyclopedia series compiling best farm shop inventions, indexed for easy reference.
• Encyclopedia of Made It Myself Ideas - Vol. IV Fourth volume in the Encyclopedia series, completing the collection of made-it-myself farm inventions.
• Great Shop Ideas - BOOK COLLECTION Collection of books (Vol. 1, 2, 3 & 4) featuring the best shop ideas and workshop hacks from FARM SHOW Magazine.
• Money-Making Ideas - BOOK COLLECTION Collection of books (Vol. 1-5) containing money-making ideas to boost farm income from FARM SHOW Magazine.
• Energy Saving Ideas Books (Volume 1 and Volume 2) containing energy-saving ideas and tips for farms and homesteads.
• Gardens To Greenhouses Book covering gardening tips and greenhouse building ideas for farms and homesteads.
• Articulated Marvels Book featuring innovative articulated creations and mechanical marvels submitted by farmers.
• Harvest Member Subscription Premium membership subscription offering enhanced access to FARM SHOW content and features.
• FARM SHOW Video Library Collection of videos featuring farm inventions, time-saving farming tips, and workshop hacks submitted by FARM SHOW readers, spanning 88+ pages of content on the website and a dedicated YouTube channel.
• FARM SHOW Archives Searchable digital archive spanning 50 years of FARM SHOW magazine with over 25,000 made-it-myself farm inventions and ideas, searchable by keyword, volume, issue, and category. Included free with subscription.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mother Earth News: Mother Earth News is a long-running independent magazine focused on self-sufficiency, homesteading, DIY projects, and rural living. Its editorial focus on reader-contributed tips, DIY shop projects, and practical farming/homesteading ideas directly overlaps with Farm Show Magazine's 'made-it-myself' invention format and target reader profile.
• Acres U.S.A. Acres U.S.A. is an independent publisher focused on ecological/sustainable agriculture, offering a magazine, books, and conferences. Its independent, niche-focused publishing model and book/magazine product mix closely mirror Farm Show Magazine's structure and audience overlap in the agricultural publishing space.
• Grit Magazine: Grit is a rural-lifestyle and small-farm publication featuring reader-submitted tips, DIY projects, recipes, and country living content. Its reliance on reader contributions and DIY focus makes it a closely comparable niche publication to Farm Show Magazine.
• Hobby Farms: Hobby Farms is a niche agricultural publication targeting small-scale and hobby farmers with practical tips, equipment guides, and DIY content. It competes for a similar subset of the small-farmer/hobbyist audience that Farm Show Magazine serves.

Broad incumbents

• Progressive Farmer: Progressive Farmer is a 130+ year-old agricultural publication covering farming techniques, equipment, and rural life, now part of DTN. It serves the same US farmer/rancher customer base as Farm Show Magazine and competes for similar advertising and subscription dollars.
• Farm Journal: Farm Journal is one of the most established US agricultural media brands, publishing magazines, digital content, and data products for farmers. It targets a similar farmer/rancher audience and covers equipment, agronomy, and farm management, making it a comparable niche agricultural publisher at much larger scale.
• AgWeb: AgWeb is a major digital agricultural media property (Farm Journal Media) covering news, markets, and equipment for commercial farmers. While broader in scope, it competes for the same farmer audience's attention and advertising budget.
• Successful Farming: Successful Farming is a long-established agricultural media brand covering equipment, farming tips, and rural lifestyle for farmers and ranchers. It overlaps with Farm Show Magazine's audience and editorial categories (DIY ideas, equipment, farming techniques) but operates at a much larger scale as part of Dotdash Meredith / agriculture.com.

Regional players

• Farm Equipment Magazine: Farm Equipment Magazine is a B2B trade publication focused on farm equipment dealers and manufacturers rather than end-user farmers. While it targets a different (dealer/manufacturer) audience, its editorial coverage of farm equipment innovations overlaps with Farm Show Magazine's equipment review content.

Emerging players

• No-Till Farmer: No-Till Farmer is a specialized agricultural publication focused on no-till farming techniques, equipment innovations, and farmer-submitted practices. It serves a narrower farming niche but shares Farm Show Magazine's editorial approach of featuring farmer innovations and equipment innovations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FarmShow
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FarmshowMagazine
• Facebookfacebook.com/FARMSHOWMagazine
• Pinterestpinterest.com/farmshow

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 Farm Show Magazine