Small Farms Quarterly: History, Cornell Publisher, Content and Editors
Profile updated November 2026
Small Farms Quarterly has carried practical advice and farmer stories to Northeast growers since 2003. Produced by the Cornell Small Farms Program at Cornell University and printed four times a year as an insert in Country Folks, it reaches nearly 40,000 subscribers in New York, New England and beyond, and every issue is free online.
| Founded | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Cornell Small Farms Program, Cornell University |
| Distribution | Insert in Country Folks (Lee Publications); free online |
| Frequency | Four times a year |
| Subscribers | Nearly 40,000 |
| Award | Best Publication, NY State Association of County Agricultural Agents, 2006 |
| Official website | SmallFarms.Cornell.edu |
History of Small Farms Quarterly (Cornell)
The Cornell Small Farms Program launched Small Farms Quarterly in 2003 to support the many small farms of the Northeast. It is distributed as an insert in Country Folks, the weekly farm newspaper from Lee Publications, four times a year.
In 2006 the New York State Association of County Agricultural Agents named it Best Publication. Over two decades it has drawn on Cornell Cooperative Extension educators, Cornell CALS faculty and researchers, and farmers and service providers across the Northeast, and the program keeps an online archive of past issues.
Anu Rangarajan of the Cornell Small Farms Program serves as editor in chief and writes the editor's letter.
Small Farms Quarterly (Cornell) Today
The Quarterly prints four issues a year and posts all of them online. Readers can get it through a Country Folks subscription, a $10 Quarterly-only subscription, free copies at local Cornell Cooperative Extension offices, or bulk orders at 75 cents a copy.
The Summer 2025 issue featured a retired farmer bringing a new generation into farming, veterans in the Farm Ops program learning fruit tree care, Cornell's Farm of the Future testbed, New York's farmer investment tax credit, hybrid grapes, sugarbush agroforestry, dairy emissions research and grape pomace in chicken feed, plus columns by shepherd Ulf Kintzel and Rich Taber of Chenango County CCE.
What Small Farms Quarterly (Cornell) Is Publishing Now
Farmer stories
Profiles of beginning, veteran and experienced farmers, from new entrants to retiring farmers passing on land.
Cornell research and extension
CCE News and CALS News sections translate Cornell research on crops, livestock, agroforestry, dairy and climate into practical terms.
Columns
Regular columns on sheep, grazing, woodlots, vegetables, local food marketing and farm policy, open to new contributors.
Small Farms Quarterly (Cornell) Editors and Staff
The Quarterly's pages and editorial team list name:
- Anu Rangarajan - Editor in Chief; Cornell Small Farms Program
- Kacey Deamer - Managing Editor
- Steve Gabriel - Former Managing Editor
- Ulf Kintzel - Columnist, White Clover Sheep Farm
- Rich Taber - Columnist, Chenango County CCE
Anyone with a story to share may submit; deadlines are posted on the program's Contribute page.
Who Reads Small Farms Quarterly (Cornell)
Readers are full-time and part-time farmers, beginning and experienced growers, extension educators and general readers interested in agriculture across New York and New England. Small operations dominate the region, and nationally 95% of U.S. farms are family farms, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture.
Small Farms Quarterly readers juggle off-farm jobs, CSA boxes and a flock of sheep that never read the grazing plan. farm.FM offers farm satire for exactly that crowd, with farm humor about Finger Lakes frost dates and ranch humor for Northeast graziers. Its farm jokes make good reading while waiting for the extension agent to call back.
Readers who want the full experience can pair the jokes with Tractor Tunes, the country music for farmers that farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, plays between stories. This author page is a fine starting point.
Small Farms Quarterly (Cornell) Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Cornell Small Farms Program: Small Farms Quarterly - subscriptions, history and archive.
- Small Farms Quarterly: Summer 2025 - a recent issue's contents.
- Small Farms Quarterly: Editorial team - editors and columnists.
- Small Farms Quarterly: Archive - past issues online.
- USDA NASS: 2022 Census of Agriculture - family farm data.
Small Farms Quarterly (Cornell) FAQ
Who publishes Small Farms Quarterly?
The Cornell Small Farms Program at Cornell University.
How do I get Small Farms Quarterly?
As an insert in Country Folks, a $10 Quarterly-only subscription, free at CCE offices, or free online.
When did Small Farms Quarterly start?
In 2003.
Who edits Small Farms Quarterly?
Anu Rangarajan is editor in chief and Kacey Deamer is managing editor.
Two decades on, Small Farms Quarterly keeps Cornell research and farmer wisdom flowing to the Northeast's small farms four times a year.