I wanted to be sure everyone knew about the opportunity to get this magazine for free. I have never paid for it, though there is a paid subscription card, because if you fill out the card that asks a few questions and check the box that you want to still get it, it keeps coming.

Anyway, in the new issue (2001 Source Book)there is an article that includes a kids' coloring contest.

There is also a new section called "Women in Agriculture" featuring articles about women who are involved in agriculture. Submission info is in this issue. Would be a great marketing opportunity.

They also have articles regularly regarding herbs, alternative crops, a special aquaculture issue each year and plenty of ads and contacts to follow-up on.

You can find them on the web at www.smallfarm.com

-- Anne (HT@HM.com), January 24, 2001

Answers

Anne, I have gotten Small Farm for years,too, and like you, have never paid for it. It's no Countryside, of course, but it's a good little magazine. The new owners haven't quite found their feet yet, but they've got some ideas that are even better, so I think it's all gonna be for the best. Got ours yesterday, and I was gonna mention it here, too. Kathie

-- Kathie in Western Washington (twinrosefarm@worldnet.att.net), January 24, 2001.

I went to the site for American Small Farm Magazine, and I don't see any way to initiate the "free" subscription... any hints? How did you folks get it started? Thanks in advance for the information. Willy

-- Willy Allen (willyallen2@yahoo.com), January 24, 2001.

Hi. We subscribed in1999 to Small Farm Today. However we paid for it.With all the farm magazines we get ,one free one would be great.

-- PRISCILLA (Mtasheacres@aol.com), January 25, 2001.

Make a card up that answers these questions:

Signature:(required for postal audit) Name and address:

____Yes! I would like to receive/continue to receive American SMALL FARM magazine (subject to publisher's criteria).

Own/operate a farm/ranch? Total farm ___ acres Row crops _____acres Vegetables ___acres Hay/Forage _____acres Trees/orchards ____acres Vines ____ acres

Do you raise animals? What kinds? _____________________

Do you have pets? What kinds? _______________________

Do you earn income from farming? ___yes ___no Do you earn income off the farm? ___ yes ___no

Do you maintain a personal garden? Do you maintain landscaped areas?

Incomplete cards will not be processed.

Mail to: American Small Farm Attn: Reader Service Dept. 267 Broad St. Westerville, OH 43081

-- Anne (HT@HM.com), January 25, 2001.

I forgot to mention that if you already get this magazine there is a pre-printed card just like this in the middle of the magazine connected to some ad cards. Fill it out and you'll probably keep getting it for free! I don't know what the guidelines are, but even with my small operation I qualify.

-- Anne (HT@HM.com), January 25, 2001.

Small Farm Today is a different magazine than American Small Farm!

-- Anne (HT@HM.com), January 25, 2001.

I guess I don't understand how this works. Does the magazine offer to send it to you free if you fill out this questionnaire? The website doesn't say anything about it. It does list the cost of a subscription. The point I am making is that it doesn't seem likely that any small operation could afford to give away free subscriptions, especially year after year. They're very probably struggling to make a go of their magazine and to pay their bills. It seems to me to be taking advantage of a glitch in their system, which I find to be unethical. If any of you have checked with the publishers, and they do indeed intend for anyone who fills out this questionnaire to have a free subscription forever, then please post to that effect here, and I will give you my humblest apologies.

-- Joy F (thedragonfly@talkcity.com), January 25, 2001.

We also receive this magazine. We never ordered it and never payed for it. We've gotten it for several years now.

-- Barbara Fischer (bfischer42@hotmail.com), January 25, 2001.

I had a paid subscription for a year, but kept receiving the magazine for free after it ran out. There are always a lot of tractor ads (John Deere, Kubota, New Holland, etc.) in each issue so the publisher may be "subsidized" a bit. I wouldn't feel guilty for getting it for free.

-- Barb (rosemontfarm1@aol.com), January 25, 2001.

WHOA! Does anyone remember "Small Farm Journal"? This goes back to the depths of my memory! Who or where are they now? Or are "they" now Countryside ? Help wanted!! GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), January 31, 2001.

There is still a lovely magazine called Small Farmers Journal, a large format type that has great articles on family farming with horses, horse-drawn equipment, old blueprints for farm buildings, growing market crops, etc. It has beautiful graphics, lots of ads for draft horses and harness and equipment. It is published by Lynn Miller and family in Oregon. A very inspiring magazine. It is not free, but I think it is worth the price IMHO. Address: Small Farmers Journal, PO Box 1627, Sisters, OR97759

-- Peggy Taylor (bptaylor@ccrtc.com), January 31, 2001.

Re: Joy's question about how the magazine could do this and make money, is it a "glitch"? etc. Some magazines do not charge for subscriptions because they want the most readers they can get that are in a certain demographic----in this case small farmers. That way they can go to their advertisers and say, "We have 50,000 readers" (or whatever number) a larger number than they could sell. These are called "ABC magazines" in the magazine biz (my field)which stands for "Audit Bureau of Circulation," which is a place that verifies how many readers a publication actually has. There are quite a few other trade magazines in the farming field that "give away" their magazines in this very way. Anyway, I suspect this is the case here, and it is not a glitch in the system.

-- Jeff Baker (lorianandjeff@aol.com), March 05, 2002.