The 208-year-old publication that farmers, gardeners and other weather enthusiasts relied on for guidance will be published for the last time.
farmers yearbook announced Thursday that the 2026 edition will be its last, citing the increasing financial challenges of producing and distributing the book in today’s “chaotic media environment.” Access to the online version will end next month.
This Maine-based publication is not to be confused with the even older Old Farmer’s Almanac in neighboring New Hampshire. First published in 1818. For centuries, secret formulas based on sunspots, planetary positions, and lunar cycles have been used to generate long-term weather forecasts.
The yearbook also includes gardening tips, trivia, jokes, and natural remedies such as catnip as a pain reliever and elderberry syrup as an immune booster. But the weather forecast gets the most headlines.
Editor Sandy Duncan said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that we share the end of something that has not only been an annual tradition in millions of homes and hearths for hundreds of years, but also a way of life and an inspiration for many who recognize that the wisdom of past generations is the key to future generations.”
In 2017, when the Farmer’s Almanac reported circulation of 2.1 million copies in North America, its editors said it was gaining new readers among people who are interested in where their food comes from and are growing fresh produce in their home gardens.
Many of these readers lived in cities, so the publication began to feature skyscrapers and old farmhouses on its covers.
