Iowa Farmer Today: Publisher, Iowa Coverage, CropWatch and Staff
Profile updated November 2026
Iowa Farmer Today is a weekly farm newspaper that lands in more than 66,000 Iowa farm households every Saturday. Published by Lee Enterprises' Lee Agri-Media group, it prints four regional editions covering Iowa and bordering counties of neighboring states.
| Publisher | Lee Agri-Media (AgUpdate), Lee Enterprises |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Weekly, Saturdays |
| Editions | Four regional editions |
| Circulation | More than 66,000 farm households, controlled |
| Audit | Alliance for Audited Media |
| Coverage | Iowa and bordering counties of adjacent states |
| Official website | AgUpdate.com/iowafarmertoday |
History of Iowa Farmer Today
Iowa Farmer Today belongs to the Farmer Today family of state farm weeklies that also includes Illinois Farmer Today and Missouri Farmer Today. All three are now published by Lee Agri-Media, the agricultural group that Lee Enterprises built around papers such as Midwest Messenger, Farm and Ranch Guide and Tri-State Neighbor.
Lee's farm group has operated under the AgUpdate name, with a shared address in Tekamah, Nebraska, and a common web platform for its titles. Iowa Farmer Today shares production and circulation staff with its sister papers; its production and circulation managers are listed on Midwest Messenger's contact page with iowafarmertoday.com addresses.
Iowa Farmer Today is distributed free to qualified farm households, a controlled-circulation model audited by the Alliance for Audited Media, which gives advertisers a verified count of who receives it.
Iowa Farmer Today Today
Iowa Farmer Today publishes weekly on Saturdays in print and online through the AgUpdate platform. Lee Enterprises lists David Hoffmann of Hoffmann Media Group as its majority shareholder.
Recent coverage has included a Jesup pork producer expanding with a focus on efficiency, Iowa State University estimates showing a long run of hog profitability, drought effects on cattle management, USDA WASDE reports, a wet spring's effect on pastures, a custom-rate survey showing sharp rises in application costs, and youth leaders at World Pork Expo.
What Iowa Farmer Today Is Publishing Now
CropWatch
A season-long series of field reports from farmers and specialists in each region of Iowa, including Matthew Bormann, Eric Weuve, Clayton VanAernam, Wayne Koehler, Elyssa McFarland, Keith Koerselman, Joe Sperfslage, Aaron and Chrissy Schnepel, and Devin Davis.
Crops, livestock and markets
Corn, soybean, hog and cattle production news, weather and USDA market reports, much of it built on Iowa State University research.
Opinion and rural life
Opinion pieces on farm succession, technology and energy, plus farm family features, from a 100-year-old World War II veteran to young producers.
Iowa Farmer Today Editors and Staff
Iowa Farmer Today's bylines and Lee Agri-Media contact listings name these people:
- Jeff DeYoung - Writer, Iowa Farmer Today
- Tim Kenyon - Writer, Iowa Farmer Today
- Crystal Reed - Writer, Lee Agri-Media
- Samantha Wilson - Production Manager
- Matt Ricklefs - Circulation Manager
Readers can find the e-edition and subscription options on the AgUpdate site.
Who Reads Iowa Farmer Today
Readers are Iowa corn, soybean, hog and cattle farmers and agribusiness people, plus farmers in bordering counties of Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota. Iowa leads the nation in hog production and ranks at or near the top in corn and soybeans, so market, weather and livestock profitability stories are front-page material. USDA NASS county data from the Census of Agriculture show how concentrated those operations are.
Iowa Farmer Today readers check CropWatch to see whether the neighbors two counties over are planting yet, and then plant anyway. For a break from the WASDE numbers, farm.FM offers farm satire and farm humor fit for the coffee shop, plus ranch humor for western Iowa cattle feeders. Its farm jokes have never once moved soybean futures.
Part newsroom, part radio dial, farm.FM bills itself as America's first satirical farm site and plays Tractor Tunes, its country music for farmers. Browse a farm.FM writer's back catalog to see the style.
Iowa Farmer Today Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Iowa Farmer Today on AgUpdate - current news, CropWatch and e-editions.
- AgUpdate: Lee Agri-Media publications - edition, circulation and audit details.
- Lee Agri-Media regional contacts - shared production and circulation staff.
- USDA NASS: Census of Agriculture - Iowa county and state farm statistics.
- USDA ERS: Animal product cash receipts - hog and cattle income at the national level.
Iowa Farmer Today FAQ
Who publishes Iowa Farmer Today?
Lee Agri-Media, the agricultural publishing group of Lee Enterprises, under the AgUpdate brand.
How often does Iowa Farmer Today publish?
Weekly, on Saturdays, in four regional editions.
How many readers does Iowa Farmer Today reach?
More than 66,000 farm households, a controlled circulation audited by the Alliance for Audited Media.
What is CropWatch?
A regular Iowa Farmer Today series of field reports from farmers and specialists in each region of the state.
Every Saturday, Iowa Farmer Today brings Iowa farm households the field reports, markets and stories that matter to them.