The Prairie Star: History, Lee Agri-Media Ownership, Coverage and Writers
Profile updated November 2026
The Prairie Star was founded in 1969 by Brent and Joanne Gaylord as an agricultural lifestyle paper for Montana farmers and ranchers. Within a decade it grew from five counties to all 56 in the state, plus neighboring states and Canada. Now part of Lee Enterprises' agricultural group, it covers Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and nearby states in print and online.
| Founded | 1969 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Brent and Joanne Gaylord |
| Base | Great Falls, Montana (per Lee Enterprises, 2003) |
| Owner | Lee Enterprises, through its Lee Agri-Media group and AgUpdate |
| Coverage | Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and surrounding states |
| Circulation | 18,000, biweekly (2003 figure) |
| Official website | AgUpdate.com/theprairiestar |
History of The Prairie Star
Brent Gaylord and his wife, Joanne, started The Prairie Star in 1969 as a publication for the farm and ranch families of Montana. Over its first decade the paper's circulation spread from five counties to all 56 Montana counties and into neighboring states and Canada. Joanne wrote a column called Jo's Corner, and the couple ran the paper for 20 years before selling it in 1989.
The Prairie Star became part of Lee Enterprises' farm newspaper group. In October 2003 Lee listed it, based in Great Falls with a biweekly circulation of 18,000, among the Lee Agri-Media papers alongside Farm and Ranch Guide, Minnesota Farm Guide, Midwest Messenger and Tri-State Neighbor, when Brian Kroshus was promoted to group publisher of Lee's agricultural publications.
The Prairie Star Today
The Prairie Star now publishes within AgUpdate, Lee Enterprises' network of regional farm papers, which shares content among sister titles including Agri-View, Farm and Ranch Guide, Midwest Messenger and Tri-State Neighbor. The site offers a daily e-edition and newsletters, and the paper keeps social media accounts under the Prairie Star name. AgUpdate's footer notes that Lee's majority shareholder is David Hoffmann of Hoffmann Media Group.
Recent Montana stories have covered forest fires in southwest Montana and their impact on ranchers, Montana FFA news and the outlook of individual producers heading into a new season, alongside regional pieces from sister papers and university extension specialists.
What The Prairie Star Is Publishing Now
Montana ranching
Ranch and livestock stories, drought and fire impacts, and cattle market coverage for Montana's ranch country.
Crops and farm economy
Crop and soybean research coverage, farm economy reports from events such as Big Iron and research from land-grant universities.
Youth and community
Montana FFA news, family farm succession and profiles of farm families across the region.
The Prairie Star Editors and Staff
Recent bylines and media databases associate these people with the paper; the paper does not post a masthead on its news page:
- Morgan Garrison - Writer, Montana stories
- Ryan Crossingham - Story editing, Lee Agri-Media (Farm and Ranch Guide)
- Brent Gaylord - Co-founder (deceased)
- Joanne Gaylord - Co-founder, former columnist (Jo's Corner)
Who Reads The Prairie Star
Readers are Montana wheat and barley growers, cattle and sheep ranchers and agribusiness people, plus producers in Wyoming, Idaho and the Dakotas. Cattle are the largest segment of U.S. livestock receipts, per USDA's Economic Research Service, and USDA's Census of Agriculture details Montana's mix of large dryland grain farms and cow-calf ranches county by county.
Prairie Star readers farm under the biggest sky in the country, which leaves plenty of room for a good story. For a break from wheat prices and calving checks, farm.FM runs farm satire and farm humor with a deadpan Montana delivery, plus ranch humor for anyone who has chased cows across a section of rangeland. Its farm jokes travel fine on a gravel road.
farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, also runs Tractor Tunes, a country music lineup for farmers. For a sample of the writing, try the archive of one of its staff humorists.
The Prairie Star Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- The Prairie Star on AgUpdate - current news from the paper.
- Obituary: Curtis Brent Gaylord Jr. - the founder and the paper's early growth.
- Lee Enterprises: Brian Kroshus will lead Lee Agri-Media Publications - the 2003 group listing.
- USDA ERS: Animal product receipts - cattle economics.
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - Montana farm statistics.
The Prairie Star FAQ
When was The Prairie Star founded?
In 1969, by Brent and Joanne Gaylord, who sold it in 1989.
Who owns The Prairie Star?
Lee Enterprises, through its Lee Agri-Media group; it publishes online through AgUpdate.
What area does The Prairie Star cover?
Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and surrounding states.
Is The Prairie Star available online?
Yes. Its news and a daily e-edition are on AgUpdate.com.
Half a century after the Gaylords' first issue, The Prairie Star still carries the news of Montana's farms and ranches.