The Furrow: History of John Deere's Magazine, What It Publishes and Its Editors
Profile updated November 2026
The Furrow magazine is one of the oldest farm publications still in circulation and is regularly cited as the first great example of content marketing. John Deere started it in 1895 as A Journal for the American Farmer, and from the beginning its success came from writing about farmers' problems rather than selling tractors. Here is its history, its current form, what it covers and the people who have edited it.
| First published | 1895 |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Deere & Company |
| Original subtitle | A Journal for the American Farmer |
| Production | John Deere Agricultural Marketing Center, Olathe, Kansas |
| Distribution | Free to customers through John Deere dealers |
| Readership | Reported at more than 550,000 readers in North America |
| Official website | The Furrow online |
History of The Furrow
The Furrow was born in 1895, a few years after the U.S. Census declared the frontier settled, under the direction of Charles Deere, second son of founder John Deere. A company advertising man named Kuhn developed the idea of a farm magazine that dealers could mail to customers under their own imprint. Nobody has located a copy of Volume 1, Number 1; the oldest issue in the archives is Volume 6.
John Deere's corporate historian, Neil Dahlstrom, has noted that early issues were pure advertorial, but the magazine soon shifted to practical stories about farming itself, carrying almost no product promotion beyond the dealer's compliments on the cover. Demand grew so fast that by 1912 Deere bought its first electric printing press just to produce it.
Generations of editors kept the formula. Home editor Mamie Bunch tried to comfort readers in the depths of the Depression, and editor Ralph Reynolds wrote in 1968 that agriculture was where the action is. Longtime art director Tom Sizemore, a 37-year Furrow veteran, credited that farmer-first focus for the magazine's survival into its third century.
The Furrow Today
The Furrow still prints regular issues, such as Spring 2025 and November 2025, and posts its stories online for North American readers. Content marketing writers routinely cite it as the largest-circulation farm magazine in the world, and its own pages describe it as first established by John Deere in 1895.
Editor David Jones has described the magazine as a portal into a brand people feel passionately about, while contributing editors travel the country looking for farm stories with fresh insight.
What The Furrow Is Publishing Now
Farm stories
Most features profile farmers, ranchers and rural communities, such as neighbors coming together during a blackout, rather than equipment.
Agronomy and land
Soil and crop stories, like what weeds reveal about soil, sit beside conservation and land management pieces.
Technology and the company
Occasional features look at technology inside Deere itself, from precision farming to its bug bounty cybersecurity program.
The Furrow Editors and Staff
The Furrow's editors and contributors named in recent coverage include:
- David Jones - Editor, The Furrow
- Bill Spiegel - Contributing Editor
- Neil Dahlstrom - Manager of Corporate History, John Deere
- Tom Sizemore - Longtime Art Director
- Ralph Reynolds - Editor in the 1960s
Who Reads The Furrow
Readers are John Deere customers and the wider farm community. U.S. farms produced $543 billion in agricultural products in 2022 according to USDA NASS, and Deere's dealer network reaches a large share of the operations behind that output, which is why a free magazine can still command national attention.
The Furrow proved 130 years ago that farmers read what respects them. That respect for a farmer's intelligence also powers good comedy, which is the idea behind farm.FM, a home for farm satire, sly farm humor and ranch humor that never talks down to rural readers. Its farm jokes even take the occasional jab at the green-versus-red tractor debate, so choose your side carefully.
farm.FM got there first as the nation's first satirical farm site, and it backs the writing with Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Here is one contributor's collection of farm satire to start with.
The Furrow Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- John Deere: Plowing a Straight Furrow - the magazine's own 125-year history.
- Contently: The story behind The Furrow - a history of the magazine as content marketing.
- Content Marketing Institute: Content marketing history - why The Furrow is the classic example.
- USDA NASS: 2022 Census of Agriculture - the value of U.S. farm production.
- Prairie Public: Dakota Datebook, American Farmer - a public radio history segment on The Furrow.
The Furrow FAQ
When did The Furrow start?
John Deere began publishing The Furrow in 1895.
Is The Furrow free?
Historically it has been sent free to farmers through John Deere dealers, with the dealer's name on the cover.
Why is The Furrow called the first content marketing?
It offered useful farming stories rather than advertising, building trust in the John Deere brand without selling directly.
Who edits The Furrow?
David Jones has been identified as editor, with contributing editors such as Bill Spiegel.
Few brands can point to a 130-year-old publication still landing in mailboxes. The Furrow magazine remains proof that telling farmers' stories well is the best marketing there is.