Green Magazine: History, John Deere Coverage and Publishers
Profile updated November 2026
Green Magazine has been the monthly companion of John Deere enthusiasts since 1984. Long published from the village of Bee, Nebraska, it calls itself the only monthly John Deere magazine and the largest single-brand tractor collector magazine in the world. In 2026 its mailing address moved to Perryville, Missouri, under Green Iron LLC.
| Premiere issue | November 1984 |
|---|---|
| Focus | John Deere tractors, combines and equipment |
| Frequency | Monthly, 12 issues a year |
| Longtime home | Bee, Nebraska |
| Current address | P.O. Box 165, Perryville, Missouri |
| Copyright holder | Green Iron LLC (2026) |
| Official website | GreenMagazine.com |
History of Green Magazine
Green Magazine grew out of a John Deere fan's frustration in the summer of 1984. Seeing ads for magazines about other tractor brands, its first editor, a longtime collector of Deere toys and memorabilia who had worked on antique tractors, decided Deere owners deserved their own. The premiere issue was ready in November 1984, priced at $6 a year.
Circulation passed 2,200 in the first year, and the magazine grew mostly on reader contributions: reprinted John Deere literature, a Deere and There column of small facts, a Tractor Trivia quiz and occasional controversial articles meant to start debates. An account of those early years was reprinted in Gas Engine Magazine in 1986.
For decades the magazine came from Bee, Nebraska, where Richard Hain served as editor and publisher. One of its best-known features is Mr. Thinker, a cranky mechanic persona who answers reader questions, mostly about Deere tractors built before 1972, and whose answers were collected in Mr. Thinker's John Deere Almanac. The July 2026 issue was described as the last published in Bee, and the magazine's address is now in Perryville, Missouri.
Green Magazine Today
Green Magazine continues to publish 12 issues a year in print and digital form, covering two-cylinder tractors, New Generation models, combines and other Deere equipment. Features include company history, in-depth looks at tractors and machinery, restoration how-to articles and photography; print subscriptions run $69.95 a year.
The website adds digital back issues, Ask Mr. Thinker, digital and print service bulletins, reader photos and videos, classifieds and directories of John Deere museums and dealers, plus free downloads such as a June 1994 vintage issue and seminar presentations on wheels and spark plugs.
What Green Magazine Is Publishing Now
Deere history
Company history, experimental models and the stories behind two-cylinder and New Generation tractors.
Restoration
How-to articles, service bulletins and Mr. Thinker's answers on keeping old Deere equipment running.
Reader content
Reader photos and videos, collector profiles, classifieds and event listings for the John Deere hobby.
Green Magazine Editors and Staff
Published profiles of Green Magazine name:
- Richard Hain - Longtime editor and publisher, Bee, Nebraska
- Green Iron LLC - Copyright holder and publisher of record, 2026
Who Reads Green Magazine
Readers are John Deere collectors, restorers and farm families around the world, many with a two-cylinder tractor in the shed and childhood memories of the sound it made. They connect today's hobby with the farms USDA still counts: the 2022 Census of Agriculture found 1.9 million U.S. farms, nearly all of them family operations.
John Deere collectors will debate the merits of a Model A over a Model B until the coffee runs out. farm.FM serves farm satire and farm humor for the green-and-yellow faithful, plus ranch humor for anyone who fed cattle off a two-cylinder. Its farm jokes have that steady putt-putt rhythm Deere fans love.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
Green Magazine Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Green Magazine: About - coverage, frequency and contact information.
- Gas Engine Magazine: John Deere Enthusiast's Magazine - the 1986 account of Green Magazine's founding.
- Farm Show: Green Magazine and Mr. Thinker - a profile of the magazine's Bee, Nebraska era.
- USDA NASS: 2022 Census of Agriculture - U.S. farm numbers today.
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - federal farm census data.
Green Magazine FAQ
When did Green Magazine start?
The premiere issue was ready in November 1984.
How often is Green Magazine published?
Monthly, 12 issues a year.
Where is Green Magazine published?
It was published for decades in Bee, Nebraska; its current mailing address is in Perryville, Missouri.
Who is Mr. Thinker?
A cranky mechanic persona who answers reader questions about older John Deere tractors in the magazine.
For more than four decades, Green Magazine has kept John Deere history, and the collectors who love it, in print every month.