View source for Farmers Weekly

{{short description|Magazine published in the United Kingdom}}
{{distinguish|Farm Weekly}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Primary sources|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox magazine
| title           = Farmers Weekly
| logo            = 
| logo_size       = <!-- default is 180px -->
| image_file      = <!-- cover.jpg (omit the "file:" prefix) -->
| image_size      = <!-- default is 180px -->
| image_alt       = 
| image_caption   = 
| editor          = Andrew Meredith
| editor_title    = <!-- up to |editor_title5= -->
| previous_editor = Karl Schneider
| staff_writer    = 
| photographer    = 
| category        = Trade magazine
| frequency       = Weekly
| format          = 
| circulation     = 
| publisher       = 
| paid_circulation   = 
| unpaid_circulation = 
| circulation_year   = 
| total_circulation  =44,000 
| founder         = 
| founded         = 
| firstdate       = {{Start date and age|1934|06|22}} 
| finaldate       = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| finalnumber     = 
| company         = Mark Allen Group
| country         = United Kingdom
| based           = [[Sutton, London|Sutton]]
| language        = English
| website         =  {{URL|http://www.fwi.co.uk}} 
| issn            = 0014-8474
| oclc            = 
}}

'''''Farmers Weekly''''' is a magazine aimed at the [[British farming]] industry. It provides news; business features; a weekly digest of facts and figures about British, European and world [[agriculture]]; and [[livestock]], [[agronomy|arable]] and machinery sections with reports on technical developments, farm sales and analysis of prices. It has both charted and captured agricultural changes. It has been vocal in its advocacy for the farming sector.

==History and profile==
The first issue of ''The Farmers Weekly'' was on 22 June 1934, costing 2[[Penny (British pre-decimal coin)|d]].<ref name=fwihistory /> It claimed to be a ''newspaper of the soil'' and aimed to increase agricultural production in the United Kingdom.<ref name=fwihistory /> It has captured and charted agricultural changes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Farmers Weekly |url=https://merl.reading.ac.uk/collections/farmers-weekly-photographic-collection/farmers-weekly/ |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=The MERL |language=en-GB}}</ref> It was acquired by [[Edward George Warris Hulton]] in 1937. The magazine is published weekly on Fridays, typically 51 times per year.<ref name=taf/> ''Farmers Weekly'' has published books including ''Farmhouse Fare'' (1935) and ''Home Made Country Wines'' (1955), both consisting of recipes contributed by readers of the magazine.

In the 1930s, ''Farmers Weekly'' average circulation per issue was 100,000 copies.<ref name="Farmhouse Fare" /> In 2004, it had an average circulation of 77,233;<ref name=taf /> by 2013, this had fallen to 59,328;<ref name="circulation" /> in 2018, average circulation was 44,023 per issue.<ref>{{cite web |title=Business magazines circulation certificate January 2018 to December 2018 : Farmers Weekly |url=https://www.abc.org.uk/Certificates/49293621.pdf |publisher=Reed Business Information Limited |access-date=19 June 2019}}</ref>

On 4 May 1951 it published a double-page spread on the changes in one hundred years of farming between 1851 and the Great Exhibition and 1951 the Festival of Britain. In the article it made the case for farming to be seen as a modern industry and a public good. It also made the case for national recognition for the hard-working countryside people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Farmers Weekly |url=https://merl.reading.ac.uk/collections/farmers-weekly-photographic-collection/farmers-weekly/ |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=The MERL |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Farmers Weekly Interactive (FWi) is the online home of Farmers Weekly, with 623,231 unique visitors per month visiting the FWi website.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fwi.co.uk/mediacentre/advertising-opportunities/fwi-co-uk/|title=Advertise your product on FWi {{!}} Farmers Weekly Media Centre|website=Media Centre|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-18}}</ref>

Related events include the Farmers Weekly Awards (which celebrates British agriculture and features influential farmers),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0c13ptr|title=BBC One – The Farmer's Country Showdown – Farm Worker Awards|date=2018|website=BBC}}</ref> Soils In Practice, and Ag Careers Live. The publisher also runs projects including Farmers Apprentice (first launched in 2012 and run bi-annually), the Young Farmers Festival and Britain's Fittest Farmer competition, which was launched in March 2019 and highlights the need for farmers to take time out to focus on their physical health and mental wellbeing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.coachmag.co.uk/go/8175|title=Are You As Fit As Britain's Fittest Farmer?|website=Coach|language=en|access-date=2019-10-18}}</ref>

''Farmers Weekly'' was part of Proagrica, which includes other products such as "Farmplan", "Sirrus" and other precision agriculture software, until its sale to MA Agriculture Limited. Proagrica is owned by [[Reed Business Information]] and is based in [[Sutton, London|Sutton]] in [[Surrey]].<ref name="aboutus"/> In December 2019, RBI announced plans to sell the magazine title, website and related platforms, events and awards to MA Agriculture Limited, part of the Mark Allen Group.<ref name="Cotton-02Jan2020">{{cite news |last1=Cotton |first1=Barney |title=MARK ALLEN GROUP TO ACQUIRE FARMERS WEEKLY |url=https://www.businessleader.co.uk/mark-allen-group-to-acquire-farmers-weekly/77369/ |access-date=7 January 2020 |work=Business Leader |date=2 January 2020}}</ref>

In 2019 it was announced that the Mark Allen Group, a specialist publisher, was ready to buy Farmers Weekly magazine from [[Reed Business Information]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tobitt |first=Charlotte |date=2019-12-20 |title=Specialist publisher Mark Allen Group to buy Farmers Weekly |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/farmers-weekly-magazine-bought-by-specialist-publisher-mark-allen-group/ |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=Press Gazette |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Mark Allen Group to acquire Farmers Weekly brand |url=https://www.gaj.org.uk/article/mark-allen-group-to-acquire-farmers-weekly-brand |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=www.gaj.org.uk |date=23 December 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=fwihistory>{{cite web|title=The life and times of Farmers Weekly|url=http://www.fwi.co.uk/the-life-and-times-of-farmers-weekly.htm|website=Farmers Weekly|publisher=Reed Business Information Limited|access-date=6 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813044133/http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2005/01/07/19863/The-life-and-times-of-farmers-weekly.htm|archive-date=13 August 2011|date=7 January 2005}}</ref>
<ref name="Farmhouse Fare">{{cite book|title=Farmhouse Fare: A Cookery Book of Country Dishes : collected by The Farmers Weekly|date=1935|publisher=Farmers Weekly|location=London |page=2}}</ref>
<ref name="circulation">{{cite web|title=Business magazines circulation certificate January 2013 to December 2013 : Farmers Weekly|url=http://image.e.fwi.co.uk/lib/fe9812717165057973/m/3/ABC_certificate.pdf|publisher=Reed Business Information Limited|access-date=11 July 2015|archive-date=13 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713164947/http://image.e.fwi.co.uk/lib/fe9812717165057973/m/3/ABC_certificate.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="aboutus">{{cite web|title=Contact us – Farmers Weekly|url=http://www.fwi.co.uk/contact/|website=Farmers Weekly|publisher=Reed Business Information Limited}}</ref>
<ref name=taf>{{cite book|title=The Europa World Year: Kazakhstan – Zimbabwe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gP_-8rXzQs8C&pg=PA4378|access-date=3 August 2015|year=2004|publisher=Taylor & Francis Group|isbn=978-1-85743-255-8|page=4378}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
*{{cite web|title=Farmers Weekly|url=http://www.fwi.co.uk/|publisher=Reed Business Information Limited}}

{{Agriculture in the United Kingdom}}

[[Category:Agriculture in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Agricultural economics]]
[[Category:Business magazines published in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Agricultural magazines]]
[[Category:Weekly magazines published in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Mass media in Surrey]]
[[Category:Companies based in Surrey]]
[[Category:Magazines established in 1934]]
[[Category:RELX]]
[[Category:1934 establishments in the United Kingdom]]


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