Lead: The Farmers’ Almanac, a 208-year-old publication based in Maine that many gardeners and farmers have used for planting dates and long-range weather guesses, announced that its 2026 edition will be its last. The publisher said escalating costs tied to producing and distributing a printed book in a shifting media landscape forced the decision, and online access will end next month. The move closes a title first printed in 1818 that operated alongside the older Old Farmer’s Almanac (1792) but served a distinct readership and regional tradition.
Key Takeaways
- The Farmers’ Almanac, founded in 1818 and headquartered in Lewiston, Maine since 1955, will publish a final print edition in 2026.
- Editors cited mounting financial pressure and the challenges of today’s “chaotic media environment” as the reason for closure; the online edition will be taken down next month.
- The Old Farmer’s Almanac, founded in 1792 in New Hampshire, confirmed it will continue publishing and noted reader confusion between the two titles.
- The Farmers’ Almanac reported a North American circulation of about 2.1 million in 2017 and grew an online readership and email subscriber list in later years.
- Both almanacs traditionally used secret formulas—referencing sunspots, planetary positions and lunar cycles—to create long-range forecasts; studies have put such predictions at roughly 50% accuracy.
- The publication mixed weather forecasts with gardening tips, remedies (for example, historic mentions of catnip and elderberry), trivia and cultural commentary spanning two centuries.
Background
Almanacs once formed a dense network of regional guides across North America, serving farmers and rural communities with planting calendars, weather projections and household advice. Over the 19th and 20th centuries, dozens of such titles came and went as printing, distribution and retail patterns shifted; only a few national or long-running titles survived into the 21st century. The Farmers’ Almanac began in New Jersey in 1818 and moved its headquarters to Lewiston, Maine, in 1955, carving a niche distinct from the older Old Farmer’s Almanac in neighboring New Hampshire.
Historically, almanacs blended practical guidance with cultural content—jokes, remedies, moral counsel and regional opinion—and they adjusted their copy to changing audiences. In recent decades many publishers sought digital audiences and urban readers interested in local food and gardening, converting traditional calendars and forecasts into web content and newsletters. Despite new distribution channels, print production and postal logistics remain costly for niche annuals selling into a fragmented market.
Main Event
The Farmers’ Almanac announced on Thursday that the 2026 edition will be the last it publishes. The editorial team attributed the decision to growing financial difficulty in producing and distributing a printed annual amid declining margins and a crowded media field. The publisher also said access to the almanac’s online archive and current web content will cease next month, marking a rapid wind-down of both print and digital operations.
Editor Sandi Duncan framed the decision as a painful conclusion to a long tradition, describing the title as an annual fixture in many households and a source of practical and intergenerational knowledge. Staffers and readers reacted online with surprise and nostalgia, sharing family stories about using the almanac for planting schedules, travel timing and seasonal planning. One longtime reader recounted relying on a forecast to avoid severe weather during a cross-country trip.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac’s editorial team responded quickly to clarify that its own publication will continue, addressing public confusion between the two brands. Historically the two publications coexisted with different formulas and editorial approaches; the Old Farmer’s Almanac dates to 1792 and is widely regarded as the longest continuously published periodical in North America. The Farmers’ Almanac’s circulation figure of 2.1 million (reported in 2017) underscores that it maintained a substantial audience even as operational pressures mounted.
Analysis & Implications
The closure highlights the economic squeeze on legacy niche publishers that rely on a single annual product. Annuals face fixed printing and distribution costs, shrinking retail space, and the challenge of monetizing digital readers at scale. Even titles with loyal followings can struggle when production costs rise and advertising or subscription revenue fails to cover losses.
For the communities that used the Farmers’ Almanac—hobby gardeners, small-scale growers and rural households—the loss is partly cultural. Almanacs offered a blend of local knowledge, tradition and seasonal ritual that is not easily replaced by algorithm-driven weather apps. The social value of a shared annual calendar, and the editorial voice that framed seasonal choices, represents a form of community memory at risk of disappearing.
From an information-quality perspective, the announcement revives questions about how lay forecasting methods compare to meteorological science. The almanac’s long-range predictions, produced with proprietary formulas referencing celestial cycles, have repeatedly been tested by researchers and typically perform only marginally better than chance. That raises a policy and educational question about how to preserve historical records while making clear their limits as predictive tools.
Comparison & Data
| Publication | Founded | HQ (recent) | 2026 Status | Notable circulation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Farmers’ Almanac | 1818 | Lewiston, Maine | Final print edition announced for 2026; online access ends next month | 2.1 million (North America, 2017) |
| The Old Farmer’s Almanac | 1792 | Concord, New Hampshire | Continuing publication | N/A (not reported in AP piece) |
The table places the two long-running titles side by side. While The Old Farmer’s Almanac predates the Farmers’ Almanac by 26 years, both used similar traditional forecasting methods and offered gardening and household content. The Farmers’ Almanac’s 2017 circulation figure indicates a substantial reach, but such numbers do not insulate an annual from rising production and distribution expenses.
Reactions & Quotes
Editors described the decision as an emotionally difficult one that ends a longtime household tradition while acknowledging the realities of modern publishing.
Farmers’ Almanac statement
“The OLD Farmer’s Almanac isn’t going anywhere,” the rival publication posted online to calm readers concerned about confusion between the two titles.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac (publisher)
Val Giddings, a senior fellow who studies science and agriculture, called the almanac a “quaint relic,” saying its forecasting value has long been debated and he did not treat its long-range predictions as scientific evidence.
Val Giddings, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (senior fellow)
Unconfirmed
- Specific financial figures for the Farmers’ Almanac’s losses or operating shortfall have not been publicly released.
- Whether any institutional archive or library has secured a complete digital copy of the almanac’s back catalog is not yet reported.
- The extent to which individual long-range predictions performed better than models in particular years has not been comprehensively verified in a single, peer-reviewed study.
Bottom Line
The Farmers’ Almanac’s planned closure after its 2026 edition marks the end of a 208-year publishing run that combined calendar-making, cultural commentary and a distinct forecasting tradition. Economic realities—rising production and distribution costs plus a complex media landscape—drove the decision, even as the title retained a sizable, multigenerational readership. For readers who used the almanac as a ritualized guide to planting and seasonal planning, the loss will be felt as both a practical gap and a cultural one.
Looking ahead, the episode underscores broader trends in which specialized print media must either adapt to sustainable digital models or be preserved through archives and institutional collections. The distinction between historical value and scientific reliability will shape how historians, librarians and the public preserve and interpret the almanac’s two centuries of material.
Sources
- Associated Press (news report)
- Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (think tank; affiliation of quoted senior fellow)
- The Old Farmer’s Almanac (publisher website; editorial response)