Farmshine: History, Dairy Focus, Coverage and Editors
Profile updated November 2026
Farmshine is a weekly newspaper written for dairy farm families, published from Brownstown, Pennsylvania, since September 1979. Founder Dieter Krieg built it as the first dairy-focused weekly farm newspaper in the country, and it has stayed independently owned ever since.
| Founded | September 1979 |
|---|---|
| Founder, editor and publisher | Dieter Krieg |
| Home | Brownstown, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania |
| Frequency | Weekly, 51 editions a year |
| Ownership | Independent, family owned and operated |
| Reach | More than 13,000 subscribers in 48 states and abroad (2021) |
| Official website | Farmshine.net |
History of Farmshine
Dieter Krieg was born in Germany, moved to the United States at age 10 and earned a dairy science degree at Penn State, at first planning to breed Registered Holsteins like his father. Instead he went into journalism. In spring 1974 he became a farm editor in State College, and about 15 months later he took over as editor of Lancaster Farming, where he served four years while that paper grew from 64 to 200 pages.
In September 1979 Krieg left to start Farmshine, a weekly devoted to dairy farm families rather than agriculture in general. The National Dairy Shrine describes it as the nation's first dairy-focused weekly newspaper. It quickly became required reading for dairy farmers in Pennsylvania and neighboring states, and every dairy breed organization in Pennsylvania buys subscriptions for its members.
Krieg has served as founder, publisher, editor, feature writer and layout designer, and members of his family, including his wife, daughter and son-in-law, have worked on the staff. Over the decades he has logged more than a million miles visiting dairy farms and covering dairy events across the country.
Farmshine Today
Farmshine still publishes 51 weekly editions a year and describes itself as independently owned and operated for more than 30 years. Its masthead line promises to rise every week to cover farms and agribusinesses. It serves dairy farm families in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware, with subscribers well beyond the region.
In 2021, in its 42nd year, Farmshine reported more than 13,000 subscribers across 48 states and several foreign countries; earlier profiles put weekly circulation just under 16,000.
What Farmshine Is Publishing Now
Dairy news and markets
Weekly news and analysis on milk pricing, dairy policy, cooperatives and markets, aimed squarely at people who milk cows.
Farm and cattle features
Profiles of dairy farm families, herd management, Registered Holstein and other breed news, and coverage of shows such as the All-American Dairy Show.
Agribusiness and events
Reports on agribusinesses, sales, meetings and youth programs serving the Mid-Atlantic dairy community.
Farmshine Editors and Staff
The National Dairy Shrine, Hoard's Dairyman and media directories name these people:
- Dieter Krieg - Founder, Publisher and Editor (since 1979)
- Krieg family - Family members serve on the staff
Krieg's industry honors include Penn State's Distinguished Alumnus Award (1986), the Pennsylvania Cooperative County Extension Agents Award (1988) and the Obie Snider Award at the 2008 All-American Dairy Show. He has served on the Holstein Foundation board of trustees and the Philadelphia Society for the Promotion of Agriculture.
Who Reads Farmshine
Farmshine readers are dairy farm families, breeders, herd managers and dairy agribusiness people, centered on Pennsylvania and its neighbors. USDA's Economic Research Service tracks the milk prices and costs that shape those farms, and dairy remains one of the largest livestock sectors, with $41.8 billion in 2021 cash receipts.
Farmshine readers are up before dawn every day of the year, because cows do not take Sundays off. When the milk check needs a laugh to go with it, farm.FM offers farm satire and farm humor with plenty of barn-aisle wisdom, and even some ranch humor for beef-curious dairymen. Its farm jokes can be read in the time it takes a parlor to fill.
For context, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site and the home of Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Its contributors each keep an archive, and this one is a good sampler of ranch humor and farm jokes.
Farmshine Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- National Dairy Shrine: Pioneer Award winners - profile of Dieter Krieg and Farmshine.
- Hoard's Dairyman: Krieg joins Holstein Foundation board - the founder's career and Farmshine's start.
- Lancaster Farming: 70 years of editors - Krieg's 1975-1979 editorship before Farmshine.
- USDA ERS: Dairy - federal research on dairy markets and farm economics.
- USDA ERS: Animal product cash receipts - dairy's share of U.S. livestock income.
Farmshine FAQ
Who founded Farmshine?
Dieter Krieg, a Penn State dairy science graduate and former Lancaster Farming editor, founded it in September 1979.
Where is Farmshine published?
Brownstown, Pennsylvania, in Lancaster County.
How often does Farmshine come out?
Weekly, 51 editions a year.
Who reads Farmshine?
Dairy farm families and dairy businesses, mainly in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware, with subscribers in most states.
More than four decades on, Farmshine is still the weekly that puts the dairy farm family first.