Agweek: History, Forum Communications, AgweekTV and Staff
Profile updated November 2026
Agweek is the weekly agriculture news brand of the Upper Midwest, covering farms and ranches in North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana and beyond. Launched by the Grand Forks Herald in August 1985 and owned since 2006 by Forum Communications of Fargo, it now spans a weekly magazine, AgweekTV and a podcast.
| First issue | August 5, 1985 |
|---|---|
| Launched by | Grand Forks Herald; first publisher Michael Maidenberg |
| Owner | Forum Communications Company, Fargo, since 2006 |
| Formats | Weekly magazine, AgweekTV, weekly podcast, website |
| Coverage | North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, Iowa, Wisconsin |
| Director of ag content | Jenny Schlecht |
| Official website | Agweek.com |
History of Agweek
Agweek was the idea of Michael Maidenberg, publisher of the Grand Forks Herald, then owned by Knight Ridder, who modeled it on the Miami Herald's Business Monday section. Before launch the staff showed mockups at farm shows and talked with farmers. The first issue reached readers on August 5, 1985, with Jim Durkin as editor and Mike Burbach as news editor.
Staff worked Friday evenings after the markets closed, printed on Saturday and delivered on Monday morning, with an elevator-by-elevator grain price chart. At its peak Agweek had bureaus in Billings, Bismarck and Fargo and a reporter in Washington. Early stories ranged from the Mexican peso collapse to an early frost that hit edible bean growers, and a hotline took farmer calls during the 1988 and 1989 droughts.
Forum Communications bought the Grand Forks Herald and Agweek in 2006. Later Forum merged its Rochester, Minnesota, weekly Agri News into Agweek, extending coverage into Iowa and Wisconsin and adding a mobile app and redesigned website; the combined brand then reported more than 30,000 subscribers in six states.
Agweek Today
Agweek publishes a weekly magazine, a weekly podcast and weekly AgweekTV broadcasts, with daily news at agweek.com. Korrie Wenzel, publisher and executive editor of the Grand Forks Herald, was named Agweek publisher; Katie Pinke had earlier served as publisher and general manager.
Jenny Schlecht serves as director of ag content, editing Agweek along with sister titles Sugarbeet Grower and BeanGrower. Longtime farm journalists such as Mikkel Pates and Michelle Rook have been part of the team.
What Agweek Is Publishing Now
Crops and markets
Wheat, corn, soybeans, sugarbeets, edible beans and other Northern Plains crops, with markets and weather.
Livestock and ranching
Cattle and livestock coverage across the Dakotas, Minnesota and Montana.
AgweekTV and podcasts
A weekly television program and podcast carrying farm news, crop updates and policy beyond print.
Agweek Editors and Staff
Agweek's own history and staff announcements name these people:
- Korrie Wenzel - Publisher
- Jenny Schlecht - Director of Ag Content; Editor
- Ariana Schumacher - Editorial contact
- Michael Johnson - Editorial contact
- Katie Pinke - Former Publisher
- Jim Durkin - Founding Editor (1985)
Mike Burbach was Agweek's first news editor in 1985.
Who Reads Agweek
Readers are grain, sugarbeet and cattle producers, agribusiness people and rural families across the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest. Soil and conservation practices the magazine covers, from no-till to cover crops, are backed by USDA NRCS and SARE, and the Census of Agriculture tracks farm structure in every county Agweek serves.
Agweek readers plant into cold soil, harvest ahead of the first snow and still find time to argue about the price at the local elevator. For something lighter during a Red River Valley blizzard, farm.FM runs farm satire and farm humor with a Northern Plains deadpan, and ranch humor for the West River cattle crowd. Its farm jokes are guaranteed frost-free.
The outlet behind those laughs, farm.FM, is the nation's first satirical farm site, complete with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers. A farm.FM humorist's archive shows what a week of it looks like.
Agweek Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Agweek: Fueled by the readers - the magazine's own history of its 1985 launch.
- Agweek: Korrie Wenzel named publisher - current leadership and Forum ownership.
- Post Bulletin: Agri News merges with Agweek - the merger and expanded coverage.
- farmers.gov: No-till and cover crops - USDA NRCS conservation guidance.
- USDA NASS: Census of Agriculture - farm data for the Dakotas, Minnesota and Montana.
Agweek FAQ
When was Agweek founded?
The first issue was delivered on August 5, 1985, by the Grand Forks Herald.
Who owns Agweek?
Forum Communications Company of Fargo, which bought it with the Grand Forks Herald in 2006.
Is there an Agweek TV show?
Yes. AgweekTV airs weekly, alongside a weekly podcast and the magazine.
Who edits Agweek?
Jenny Schlecht is director of ag content and edits Agweek, Sugarbeet Grower and BeanGrower.
Four decades after its first Monday delivery, Agweek remains the Upper Midwest's weekly farm news habit.