Hobby Farms Magazine: History, Current Owner, What It Publishes and Editors
Profile updated November 2026
Hobby Farms magazine was built for a reader the big farm magazines tended to ignore: the person with five, 20 or 50 acres who wants chickens, a garden, maybe a few goats, and perhaps a farmers market stand. Its tagline, Rural Living for Pleasure and Profit, still sums it up. Here is the history of Hobby Farms, who owns it, what it publishes and who edits it.
| First issue | 2001 (Vol. 1, No. 1, Summer 2001) |
|---|---|
| Creator | Norman Ridker, founder and chairman of BowTie Inc. |
| Original publisher | Fancy Publications / BowTie Inc., Irvine, California |
| Current publisher | EG Media Investments LLC |
| Editorial office | Lexington, Kentucky (since 2004) |
| Frequency | Bimonthly, plus special issues |
| Official website | HobbyFarms.com |
History of Hobby Farms
Hobby Farms was the brainchild of Norman Ridker, founder and chairman of the pet-magazine publisher BowTie Inc. Seeing a real need for basic farming education among new rural landowners, BowTie trademarked the term hobby farm and launched the magazine in 2001 under its Fancy Publications imprint in Irvine, California.
In 2004 the editorial office moved to Lexington, Kentucky, closer to the farms it covers, and the magazine quickly picked up American Agricultural Editors Association awards for design and photography. Circulation reached roughly 144,000 by 2011. Editors such as Lisa Munniksma, who left the office for the farm in 2011, and later managing editor Rachael Dupree gave the magazine its hands-on voice.
In 2013 Hobby Farms was acquired by I-5 Publishing, and the title is now published by EG Media Investments LLC, which also publishes Chickens magazine.
Hobby Farms Today
Hobby Farms publishes six regular issues a year alongside special editions such as Best of Hobby Farms, Beekeeping 101, Goat 101, Healing Herbs, Hobby Farm Home and Urban Farm. HobbyFarms.com adds daily articles, podcasts and how-to guides.
Library services including EBSCO Flipster carry the magazine, describing it as dedicated to part-time and hobby farmers who live for growing crops, raising livestock and living sustainably.
What Hobby Farms Is Publishing Now
Livestock for small acreage
Breed profiles, such as the Hereford's prospects, and veterinarian-reviewed Livestock Q&A columns on topics like goat parasites help new keepers raise animals well.
Gardens and crops
Recent issues covered square-foot gardening, garden-scale crop rotation, hardy greens and seed picks for the new year.
Farm people and profit
Farmer profiles, small-farm marketing and equipment buying advice reflect the pleasure-and-profit promise.
Hobby Farms Editors and Staff
Hobby Farms is produced by a small Lexington-based team. Named editors and contributors include:
- Roger Sipe - Group Editor, Hobby Farms and Chickens magazines
- Cory Hershberger - Contributing Editor, Hobby Farms and Chickens
- Lisa Munniksma - Former editor; contributing writer
- Rachael Dupree - Former managing editor; freelance writer and editor
Sipe grew up on a small farm in central Indiana, where farming has run in his family for generations. Editorial mail goes to hobbyfarms@hobbyfarms.com.
Who Reads Hobby Farms
The 2022 Census of Agriculture found that 1.4 million farms with sales of $50,000 or less make up 74% of all U.S. farms, and that is the audience Hobby Farms speaks to: small, often part-time operations where the farm is a passion first.
Small farms are rarely short on comedy, from the rooster with a grudge to the tractor older than its owner. Readers who love that side of rural life can find more of it at farm.FM, which runs farm satire, warm farm humor and a bit of ranch humor for anyone with more than three cows. The farm jokes there hit home for hobby farmers who have been outsmarted by a goat at least once.
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.
Hobby Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Wikipedia: Hobby Farms (magazine) - history of the 2001 launch and ownership changes.
- EBSCO Flipster: Hobby Farms - library listing naming EG Media Investments as publisher.
- ATTRA (NCAT): Census of Agriculture insight - small-farm analysis from the National Center for Appropriate Technology.
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - official counts of small farms and direct sales.
- SARE: 10 ways cover crops enhance soil health - USDA-funded guidance useful for small growers.
Hobby Farms FAQ
When did Hobby Farms magazine start?
Hobby Farms launched in 2001, created by BowTie Inc. founder Norman Ridker.
Who publishes Hobby Farms?
EG Media Investments LLC publishes Hobby Farms and its sister title, Chickens.
Where is Hobby Farms based?
Its editorial office has been in Lexington, Kentucky, since 2004.
Who edits Hobby Farms?
Roger Sipe is group editor of Hobby Farms and Chickens magazines.
For a quarter century, Hobby Farms magazine has made the small farm feel achievable, one coop, raised bed and goat pen at a time.