After more than two centuries as a staple in American homes and gardens, the Farmers’ Almanac will cease publication at the end of 2025. Once a trusted companion for millions seeking weather forecasts and practical advice, the Almanac’s closure marks the end of an era shaped by changing technology, shifting reader habits, and the relentless decline of print media.
Financial Pressures and Industry Shifts
The decision to shutter the Farmers’ Almanac comes amid mounting financial challenges and fierce competition from digital platforms. In its heyday, the Almanac boasted a readership of over two million, including a growing urban audience. By 2025, sales had plummeted to just over half a million copies. Editor Sandi Duncan cited declining sales and the inability to compete with digital media as the primary reasons for the closure. This struggle mirrors a broader crisis in the print industry, where U.S. printing companies have shrunk by 15% since 2022, and print revenue now accounts for less than half of publishing income. Rising costs and the dominance of digital news and weather sources have rendered the traditional business model unsustainable.
A Legacy Rooted in American History
Founded in 1818 by New Jersey poet and astronomer David Young and printer Jacob Mann, the Farmers’ Almanac began as a 36-page booklet offering moon cycles and farming tips. Young’s stewardship for 34 years established the Almanac as a household name, part of a wave of regional publications that guided early American families. The Almanac endured through wars, economic upheavals, and cultural shifts. Under the leadership of Ray Geiger, who became editor in 1933, the publication survived World War II and reached a peak circulation of over six million. The Geiger family took ownership in 1949, relocating the office to Maine and maintaining the Almanac’s reputation as a trusted annual tradition.
Adapting—and Struggling—in the Digital Age
Despite efforts to modernize, the Farmers’ Almanac could not keep pace with technological change. The rise of smartphone weather apps and AI-powered forecasting tools offered users instant, location-specific updates, making the Almanac’s long-range predictions seem outdated. While the Almanac launched a website in 1997 and expanded its social media presence, these digital reforms failed to offset declining print and subscription revenues. Attempts to broaden its appeal to urban readers and ventures into television were similarly unsuccessful. Meanwhile, competitors like the Old Farmer’s Almanac, a separate publication founded in 1792, adapted more effectively by partnering with weather technology companies and updating their forecasting methods.
Tradition, Nostalgia, and Reader Response
For generations, the Farmers’ Almanac was more than a weather guide—it was a fixture in kitchens and barns, its distinctive hole for hanging added in 1919 at readers’ request. Online, longtime fans expressed sadness and nostalgia, recalling family rituals of consulting the Almanac for gardening, home remedies, and seasonal advice. The publication’s blend of practical tips and homespun wisdom fostered a sense of continuity and community, even as its scientific accuracy was questioned. Meteorologists have long noted that the Almanac’s secret formula, based on sunspots and planetary cycles, was no more accurate than chance for long-term forecasts. Nonetheless, its annual predictions and folk remedies remained a cherished tradition for many.
The End of an Era and What Comes Next
The 2026 edition will be the Farmers’ Almanac’s last, offering a final “wild ride” winter forecast and a collection of gardening and home tips. Editor Sandi Duncan, the first woman to lead the publication, acknowledged the difficulty of ending such a longstanding tradition but emphasized the realities of today’s media landscape. The closure has sparked confusion among readers, some of whom mistakenly believed the older Old Farmer’s Almanac was also ending. That publication, however, continues, underscoring the divergent paths of two historic rivals.
As the Farmers’ Almanac prepares to close its doors, its fate raises broader questions about the survival of traditional wisdom in a digital world. The Almanac weathered wars, depressions, and cultural change, but not the age of smartphones and AI. With climate patterns growing more unpredictable and technology reshaping how people access information, the future of such time-honored practices remains uncertain. The end of the Farmers’ Almanac is not just the loss of a publication, but a turning point in the story of how Americans connect with the land, the weather, and each other.