Country Woman Magazine: History, Reiman Roots, Trusted Media Brands Profile and Content
Profile updated November 2026
Country Woman magazine began as Farm Wife News, one of the first titles from Wisconsin publisher Roy Reiman, and became Country Woman in 1987. Now part of Trusted Media Brands alongside Taste of Home and Reader's Digest, it celebrates country living through reader stories, crafts, recipes and gardens.
| Founded | 1970, as Farm Wife News (publisher's date; some accounts say 1972) |
|---|---|
| Founder | Roy J. Reiman, Reiman Publications |
| Later names | Farm Woman (1980s), Country Woman (1987) |
| Publisher | Trusted Media Brands, formerly Reader's Digest Association |
| Audience | About 99% female; publisher cites 682,000 average monthly readers (2022) |
| Sister titles | Farm and Ranch Living, Taste of Home, Birds and Blooms |
| Official website | TrustedMediaBrands.com |
History of Country Woman
Roy J. Reiman founded Reiman Publications in 1965 in the basement of his Hales Corners, Wisconsin, home, and the company later grew up in nearby Greendale. In the 1970s he noticed how many women were reading farm magazines and launched Farm Wife News for them. Trusted Media Brands dates the launch to 1970; a 2012 profile gives 1972.
Staff soon learned that farm husbands were reading it too, which led Reiman to start Farm and Ranch Living in 1978. Farm Wife News became Farm Woman in the 1980s and was revamped in 1987 as Country Woman, widening its focus from farm kitchens to rural lifestyles in general.
Reiman sold a majority stake in his company to Madison Dearborn Partners in 1998 and his remaining interest to the Reader's Digest Association in 2002. That company became Trusted Media Brands. Roy Reiman died on September 16, 2024, at age 90.
Country Woman Today
Trusted Media Brands still lists Country Woman among its core brands, with a website, media kit and app, and says the brand connects with nearly 1.4 million women across the U.S. Like other Reiman titles, it relies heavily on reader contributions and much less on advertising than most magazines.
Digital editions have been sold for e-readers, and the magazine shares recipes and craft projects with sister title Taste of Home. A 2012 profile named Lori Grzybowski as editor and Shalana Frisby as craft editor, developing about 15 projects a month.
What Country Woman Is Publishing Now
Reader stories
Each issue profiles a country woman and her life, written largely in readers' own words.
Crafts and recipes
Craft projects, quilting, home decor and country cooking shared with Taste of Home.
Gardening and homestead skills
Gardening, raising chickens, beekeeping and other rural skills.
Country Woman Editors and Staff
Published staff credits for Country Woman include:
- Lori Grzybowski - Editor (as of 2012 profile)
- Shalana Frisby - Craft Editor (as of 2012 profile)
- Roy J. Reiman - Founder (died 2024)
Trusted Media Brands does not list a current editor on its brand page; reader submissions go through the magazine's website.
Who Reads Country Woman
Readers are women in rural communities, small towns and suburbs who love country life, many of them farm and ranch wives, gardeners and crafters. The 2022 Census of Agriculture counted about 1.9 million U.S. farms, 95% of them family farms, and the women running those households are the audience Reiman first set out to serve.
Country Woman readers have swapped stories about runaway hens and muddy boots for more than fifty years. In that spirit, farm.FM writes farm satire and farm humor for anyone who has kept a farmhouse running, with ranch humor for the cattle country cousins. Its farm jokes pair nicely with coffee and a pie on the windowsill.
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.
Country Woman Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Trusted Media Brands: Country Woman - publisher brand page.
- Wikipedia: Roy Reiman - founder of Farm Wife News.
- Craft Gossip: visit to Country Woman - 2012 look inside the magazine.
- USDA NASS: 2022 Census of Agriculture release - family farm statistics.
- USDA NASS: Census of Agriculture - farm and producer data.
Country Woman FAQ
What was Country Woman magazine originally called?
Farm Wife News, launched by Roy Reiman; it became Farm Woman and then Country Woman in 1987.
Who publishes Country Woman?
Trusted Media Brands, the former Reader's Digest Association, which absorbed Reiman Publications.
What is in Country Woman?
Reader stories, recipes, crafts, gardening and rural skills.
Is Farm and Ranch Living related?
Yes. Reiman started it in 1978 after finding that farm husbands were reading Farm Wife News.
From Farm Wife News to today, Country Woman magazine has kept rural women's own stories at the center of every issue.