Country Folks

What Country Folks does

Country Folks is a weekly agricultural trade publication serving the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States, operating under Lee Publications, Inc., a privately held media company founded in 1965. Headquartered in Palatine Bridge, New York, the publication is distributed across four regional editions — Eastern New York, Western New York, New England, and Mid-Atlantic — reaching agricultural producers from Maine to North Carolina. Editorial coverage spans dairy, beef, crops, small ruminants, production techniques, animal health, industry events, trade shows, and auctions, with content delivered via weekly print, digital eEditions, and free electronic newsletters.

The core product is a vertically segmented B2B media brand supplemented by an integrated ecosystem of related offerings: an AG Business Directory for vendor discovery, a classified advertising marketplace, association listings, and adjacent sub-brands including Country Folks Grower (with Eastern and Midwest editions focused on commercial horticulture) and Country Culture (a rural lifestyle publication). The company also operates Lee Trade Shows, which manages agricultural and adjacent-industry events such as the Keystone Farm Show and Virginia Farm Show.

Country Folks generates revenue through two primary streams: recurring print and digital subscriptions across its four regional editions, and advertising sales via display ads, classifieds, and business directory listings aimed at agricultural businesses, suppliers, and service providers. Distribution combines direct sales for print and newsletter subscriptions with self-serve access to digital eEditions. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company operates with a 1-10 employee headcount, has no venture or private equity funding, and is privately held under the Lee Publications umbrella.

Name

Country Folks

Legal name

Lee Publications, Inc.

Website

https://countryfolks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Country Folks is a weekly agricultural trade publication operating under Lee Publications, serving Northeast and Mid-Atlantic dairy, beef, crop, and small ruminant producers across four regional editions from Maine to North Carolina.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Trade Publication

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture, Farming & AgriTech Shows Organizers (THAHABAM)

Keywords

• Agricultural newspaper
• Farm publication
• Agricultural trade news
• Regional farm editions
• Agricultural classifieds

Headquarters

HQ city

Palatine Bridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: Weekly subscription-based publication revenue from print and digital editions across four regional editions serving the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic agricultural markets.
2. Advertising: Revenue from agricultural businesses advertising through display ads, classifieds, and business directory listings in the publication.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Country Folks is a weekly farm newspaper published by Lee Publications, Inc. that delivers regional agricultural news, market reports, and classified advertising to farmers and agribusinesses across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States. The publication is offered in four regional editions (Eastern New York, Western New York, New England, and Mid-Atlantic) and is supported by related products including the Country Folks Grower sub-brand, Country Culture magazine, the AG Business Directory, and digital eEditions.

Product overview

Country Folks is a traditional agricultural trade publication operated by Lee Publications, offering multiple regional editions (Eastern New York, Western New York, New England, and Mid-Atlantic) as its core product. The portfolio also includes the Country Folks Grower sub-brand with Eastern and Midwest editions focused on commercial horticulture, and Country Culture as a rural lifestyle publication. Additional offerings include AG Business Directory listings, classified advertising services, free weekly newsletter subscriptions, and Lee Trade Shows events (Keystone Farm Show, Virginia Farm Show, Hard Hat Expo, Small Scale Forestry Expo). The company operates as a print and digital publication covering dairy, beef, crops, small ruminants, production, animal health, industry events, trade shows and auctions across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lee Newspapers: Umbrella brand for Lee Publications' newspaper divisions including Country Folks and related agricultural publications.
• Lee Trade Shows

Products and services

• Country Folks (main weekly newspaper) Weekly farm newspaper providing regional agricultural news, market reports, and classified advertising to farmers and agribusinesses across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States. Targeted at farm operators and agricultural businesses.
• Country Folks Eastern New York Edition Regional weekly edition of Country Folks tailored to agricultural producers and agribusinesses in Eastern New York.
• Country Folks Western New York Edition Regional weekly edition of Country Folks tailored to agricultural producers and agribusinesses in Western New York.
• Country Folks New England Edition Regional weekly edition of Country Folks covering agricultural news and markets for New England farmers and agribusinesses.
• Country Folks Mid-Atlantic Edition Regional weekly edition of Country Folks covering agricultural news and markets for Mid-Atlantic farmers and agribusinesses.
• Country Folks Grower Publication within the Lee Publications portfolio focused on commercial horticulture, produce, and crop growers. Targeted at specialty crop producers and produce growers.
• Country Culture Companion publication to Country Folks covering rural lifestyle, farm culture, and related topics. Targeted at farm families and rural readers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
• AG Business Directory Online business directory of agricultural products, services, and suppliers serving the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic farm market. Targeted at agricultural businesses and farm operators seeking suppliers or service providers.
• Classified Advertising Platform Classified advertising platform carried in Country Folks print editions and online, where farmers and agribusinesses list equipment, livestock, and farm-related products for sale.
• Digital eEditions / Newsletter Subscription Digital edition of the Country Folks newspaper plus email newsletter distribution, providing online access to weekly content for subscribers.
• Lee Trade Shows Trade show events operated by Lee Publications serving the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic agricultural community, promoted through the Country Folks website.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hay & Forage Grower: Hay & Forage Grower is an agricultural trade publication focused on forage, hay, and livestock-crop producers with print and digital editions. It is comparable to Country Folks as a vertical ag trade title serving commercial livestock and forage producers across multiple US regions.
• Keystone Farm Show: Keystone Farm Show is an agricultural trade show operated by Country Folks' parent Lee Trade Shows, but as a standalone peer it represents the trade show organizer category (agricultural exhibitions) in which Country Folks/Lee Publications compete. It is directly comparable to the Lee Trade Shows events segment of Country Folks' business.
• Progressive Dairy: Progressive Dairy is a regional dairy trade publication with multiple US editions covering dairy production, markets, and industry news. It overlaps directly with Country Folks' dairy-producer segment and competes for the same Northeast dairy advertising and subscription revenue.
• Hoard's Dairyman: Hoard's Dairyman is a longstanding dairy-focused trade publication serving North American dairy farmers with editorial content, dairy industry coverage, and reader events. It directly competes with Country Folks for the dairy-producer readership in the Northeast and for dairy-industry advertising spend.
• Lancaster Farming: Lancaster Farming is a weekly regional agricultural newspaper serving the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast with similar editorial coverage of dairy, livestock, and crop production. It is one of Country Folks' closest direct competitors for both readership and regional ag advertising dollars in overlapping Mid-Atlantic geography.
• Angus Beef Bulletin: Angus Beef Bulletin is a trade publication focused on beef cattle producers, with editorial coverage of production, genetics, and livestock auctions. It competes with Country Folks for beef-producer readers and beef-industry advertisers across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
• Farm Show (Farm Show Magazine): Farm Show Magazine is a national trade publication focused on innovative farm equipment and inventions, with a strong events and trade show component. It is comparable to Country Folks in being an ag trade title that mixes editorial coverage with strong farm-show/event advertising revenue, although it operates nationally rather than regionally.

Broad incumbents

• Successful Farming: Successful Farming (part of Dotdash Meredith / Agriculture.com) is a long-running national agricultural media brand with print, digital, and video properties covering production agriculture. It is comparable to Country Folks in audience (US farmers) and product type (agricultural trade publishing) but competes nationally rather than regionally.
• Farm Journal Media: Farm Journal is one of the largest US agricultural media companies, publishing Farm Journal magazine and operating a broad portfolio of agricultural broadcast, digital, and events properties. It is comparable to Country Folks as a leading agricultural trade publication serving US farmers with editorial, advertising, and events, but operates at national scale rather than a regional Northeast/Mid-Atlantic footprint.

Regional players

• American Agriculturist: American Agriculturist (Farm Progress) is a long-running regional agricultural publication serving Northeast farmers with print and digital editions. It targets the same Northeast dairy, livestock, and crop readership as Country Folks and competes directly for regional ag advertising.

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Country_Folks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/country-folks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 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 Country Folks