Prairie Farmer Magazine: History, Farm Progress Ownership, Content and Editors
Profile updated November 2026
Prairie Farmer magazine has been telling Illinois farmers what is happening on their own ground since February 1841, which makes it one of the oldest continuously published magazines in the United States. It began as a Chicago paper, spawned a radio station and the Farm Progress Show, and is now the Illinois brand of Farm Progress, part of Informa.
| First issue | February 1, 1841, Chicago |
|---|---|
| Original name | The Union Agriculturist and Western Prairie Farmer (shortened to Prairie Farmer in 1843) |
| Founder | John Stephen Wright |
| Publisher | Farm Progress, part of Informa's Markets Division |
| Coverage area | Illinois |
| Editor | Holly Spangler, also executive editor of Farm Progress |
| Official website | Prairie Farmer on FarmProgress.com |
History of Prairie Farmer
John Stephen Wright, a Chicago promoter who was not a farmer himself, launched the paper on February 1, 1841 under the long title The Union Agriculturist and Western Prairie Farmer. Coming out of a bitterly partisan presidential election, he wanted a farm paper that stayed clear of party politics, and its early masthead promised attention to western agriculture, mechanics and education. Wright shortened the name to Prairie Farmer in January 1843 and opened a Prairie Farmer Warehouse on Lake Street where farmers could inspect seed and machinery samples. Abraham Lincoln was among its readers.
The paper grew into a media company. In 1928 a Prairie Farmer affiliate bought Chicago radio station WLS from Sears, and in 1953 Prairie Farmer and WLS hosted the field day that became the Farm Progress Show. After Dante Pierce died in 1955, the publishers of Prairie Farmer bought the Iowa paper that became Wallaces Farmer, building the core of a regional network.
Ownership then passed through a long chain: American Broadcasting-Paramount Theaters bought the Farm Progress Group in 1959, largely for WLS; Capital Cities/ABC and then Disney followed; Disney sold Farm Progress to Rural Press in 1997; Fairfax inherited it in 2007 and sold it to Penton Media in 2012; and Informa acquired Penton in November 2016. Prairie Farmer marked 175 years in 2016 and 180 years in 2021.
Prairie Farmer Today
Prairie Farmer is one of 14 state and regional brands Farm Progress lists for advertisers, alongside Wallaces Farmer, Indiana Prairie Farmer and Nebraska Farmer. Farm Progress is headquartered in St. Charles, Illinois. Magazine issues are posted as digital editions on FarmProgress.com, and Illinois stories also run on the website and in a weekday morning newsletter.
The Farm Progress Show that Prairie Farmer helped start now alternates each year between a permanent site near Decatur, Illinois, and Boone, Iowa, so the magazine's home state hosts the event every other August. Recent digital editions show the mix: the October 2026 issue covered strip tillage, corn profit strategies and negotiating 2027 farm rent, while September 2026 looked at the potential cost of a glyphosate ban and Tyson's closure of its Joslin beef plant.
What Prairie Farmer Is Publishing Now
Illinois farm families
Profiles of Illinois farm operations, rural life features, reader contests such as the search for the best farm dog in Illinois, and annual roundups of readers' favorite stories.
Production and markets
Crop, livestock and farm management reporting aimed at commercial corn, soybean and livestock producers, with Illinois data such as ag-by-the-numbers features.
Commentary
Editor columns from Holly Spangler, who writes from her own family farm, along with policy and farm business analysis shared across the Farm Progress network.
Prairie Farmer Editors and Staff
Farm Progress author pages and announcements name these Prairie Farmer editors and writers:
- Holly Spangler - Editor, Prairie Farmer; Executive Editor, Farm Progress
- Ava Splear - Staff writer (joined February 2025)
- John Stephen Wright - Founder and first editor (1841)
Spangler started as a field editor and has spent roughly 25 years in agricultural communications. She is the second woman to edit Prairie Farmer, and she farms with her family near Marietta in Fulton County, Illinois, raising corn, soybeans and a cow-calf herd.
Who Reads Prairie Farmer
Prairie Farmer is written for commercial farmers in Illinois, one of the country's leading corn and soybean states, and for the agribusinesses that serve them. The Illinois Department of Agriculture publishes state agriculture facts, and USDA's 2022 Census of Agriculture found that 95 percent of U.S. farms are family farms, which is exactly the audience a family-run editor writes for.
Prairie Farmer readers have been swapping stories at the Farm Progress Show since the first field day in 1953, so they know a good one when they hear it. For something lighter after the corn and bean reports, farm.FM serves farm satire, farm humor and a steady supply of farm jokes, plus ranch humor for the cattle side of Illinois. It is the place to go when the planter is fixed and the coffee is still hot.
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.
Prairie Farmer Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Wikipedia: Prairie Farmer - founding in 1841, the original title and John S. Wright.
- Illinois Country Living: Prairie Farmer at 175 - the paper's nonpartisan origins and Lincoln as a reader.
- Farm Progress: Prairie Farmer celebrates 180 years - the magazine's own anniversary coverage.
- Illinois Department of Agriculture: Facts about Illinois agriculture - the state's official agriculture overview.
- USDA NASS: 2022 Census of Agriculture - national farm numbers and structure.
Prairie Farmer FAQ
When was Prairie Farmer founded?
The first issue appeared in Chicago on February 1, 1841, under the title The Union Agriculturist and Western Prairie Farmer.
Who owns Prairie Farmer magazine?
Farm Progress, which has been part of Informa since Informa bought Penton Media in 2016.
Who edits Prairie Farmer?
Holly Spangler is editor and also serves as executive editor of Farm Progress; Ava Splear is a staff writer.
Did Prairie Farmer start the Farm Progress Show?
Yes. The show began in 1953 as a field day hosted by Prairie Farmer and WLS radio.
From a Chicago warehouse in the 1840s to digital editions and a national farm show, Prairie Farmer magazine remains the longest-running voice of Illinois agriculture.