Dakota Farmer Magazine: Territorial Roots, Farm Progress Today, Coverage and Editors
Profile updated November 2026
Dakota Farmer magazine is older than the two states it covers. It started as a newspaper in Dakota Territory in 1881, eight years before North and South Dakota were admitted to the Union, and it grew up in Huron and Aberdeen alongside the wheat, cattle and later corn and soybean economy of the northern Plains. Today it is the Farm Progress brand for both Dakotas.
| Founded | 1881, Alexandria, Dakota Territory |
|---|---|
| Early owner | James Baynes |
| Longtime home | Aberdeen, South Dakota, from 1893 |
| Later owners | Webb Publishing (1979), then Farm Progress |
| Coverage area | North Dakota and South Dakota |
| Senior editor | Sarah McNaughton, since 2021 |
| Official website | Dakota Farmer on FarmProgress.com |
History of Dakota Farmer
Dakota Farmer began in 1881 as a newspaper in Alexandria, in what is now Hanson County, South Dakota, under owner James Baynes. Baynes sold it within its first year and it moved to Huron. Augustine Davis, the next owner, sold a half interest to William Bushnell in 1883, and Bushnell became sole owner in 1885.
Bushnell, as editor and manager, built the paper into a regional force and moved it to Aberdeen in 1893. He later served as South Dakota's state statistician. Over the next century Dakota Farmer supported the region's farm organizations and became a trusted source of farm information across both Dakotas.
Webb Publishing of St. Paul, the publisher of Minnesota's The Farmer, bought Dakota Farmer in 1979. The title later became part of Farm Progress Companies, which has passed through Rural Press, Fairfax and Penton Media and, since 2016, belongs to Informa. South Dakota State University's Archives and Special Collections in Brookings holds a Dakota Farmer collection documenting the magazine's long history.
Dakota Farmer Today
Farm Progress lists Dakota Farmer among its 14 state and regional brands. Sarah McNaughton joined as senior editor in 2021, covering both North Dakota and South Dakota and succeeding longtime editor Lon Tonneson. She also co-hosts the FP Next podcast with Nebraska Farmer editor Curt Arens, and her stories run across Farm Progress and BEEF.
A recent Dakota Farmer column reminded readers that the magazine's staff are their neighbors and friends, living and farming in the same communities they cover.
What Dakota Farmer Is Publishing Now
Cattle and ranching
Cow-calf, feeder and range coverage for West River ranches and the cattle operations of both states.
Crops
Spring wheat, corn, soybean, sunflower and other crop production news for the northern Plains growing season.
Rural life and policy
Profiles of Dakota farm and ranch families, young producers, farm policy and markets, plus the FP Next podcast.
Dakota Farmer Editors and Staff
Farm Progress author pages and agricultural journalism coverage name these Dakota Farmer editors:
- Sarah McNaughton - Senior Editor, Dakota Farmer (since 2021)
- Lon Tonneson - Former longtime editor
- William Bushnell - Early owner, editor and manager (1880s-1890s)
McNaughton writes from the Dakotas and shares podcast duties with Nebraska Farmer's Curt Arens on FP Next.
Who Reads Dakota Farmer
Readers are commercial farmers and ranchers in North and South Dakota, from Red River Valley crop farms to West River cattle ranches. USDA NASS state statistics and the Census of Agriculture document how the region combines large grain acreages with a major beef cattle sector, the mix that shapes every issue of Dakota Farmer.
Dakota Farmer readers survive blizzards in April and grasshoppers in August, so their sense of humor is built tough. farm.FM matches it with farm satire from the northern Plains, farm humor about the wheat harvest, ranch humor for West River cow outfits and farm jokes that hold up through a three-day ground blizzard. It makes good listening between episodes of FP Next.
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.
Dakota Farmer Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- SDSU Archives: Dakota Farmer (Aberdeen, S.D.) - the magazine's founding and ownership history.
- South Dakota State University: Dakota Farmer Collection - the land-grant university's archive of the magazine.
- Agricultural Communicators Network: Sarah McNaughton - her 2021 hiring and role.
- USDA NASS: Census of Agriculture - farm data for both Dakotas.
- USDA NASS Quick Stats - Dakota crop and cattle statistics.
Dakota Farmer FAQ
When was Dakota Farmer founded?
In 1881, as a newspaper in Alexandria, Dakota Territory.
Where was Dakota Farmer published?
It moved from Alexandria to Huron and then to Aberdeen, South Dakota, in 1893.
Who edits Dakota Farmer?
Sarah McNaughton has been senior editor since 2021, succeeding Lon Tonneson.
Who owns Dakota Farmer magazine?
Farm Progress, part of Informa. Webb Publishing bought it in 1979 before it joined Farm Progress.
From a territorial newspaper to a two-state farm brand, Dakota Farmer magazine has covered northern Plains agriculture for more than 140 years.