Countryside magazine

I wonder if the reason why there aren't many livestock related articles is because they also publish 3 livestock-related magazines? They may not want to compete with themselves.

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Though it be little, better to live in a house you hold as your own;
with just two goats, thin thatch for your roof,
you're better off than begging. ~ Hávamál

Sorry zealot, just got our copy and I went thru the whole thing looking for your article and it wasn't there. Maybe next issue....

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This is the government the Founding Fathers warned us about.....

I Got My Jan/feb Issue Today

RandB, I miss the Intentional Peasant too. He did all that great thinking and BUILDING and homesteading inside BALTIMORE!!! My hero! ldc

I still enjoy countryside. I also subscribe to Backwoodshome, Mother Earth News and BackHome. My subscription to Countryside and Backwoodshome have just expired so when DH asked what I wanted for Christmas I told him my magazines. That's what I'm getting to.

Mine arrived yesterday also. Pretty well on time - the 10th of the month preceeding the issue date.

This one has a lot of small livestock articles in it.

I know some of you "donate" your articles to the magazine, but I think that paying a reasonable amount for the articles would be a miniscule part of their budget and might bring in more ideas.
Many farm people are also part time writers, and they can write about their own experiences, but can also write about other people's experiences. Just because you are a paid writer doesn't mean you can't convey the information, as the writer is just telling someone else's story, often someone who has good ideas but isn't a writer and is scared to death to write anything.
I've written for several agriculture publications as well as trade publications and also am a farmer (veggies, fruits, cut flowers, poultry). Between my formal education AND my experience I think I offer my readers good information.
The money paid to writers isn't something they get rich on, but it sure helps pay the bills, not just personal bills, but for film/cameras, travel, phone, etc. Expecting people to donate their writing when it is costing them out-of-pocket money may not give readers the best selection of material to read.
Plus, if a farmer is writing an article, that time taken away from farming is costing him something since he might have used the time making a little more in farming. So, he needs some compensation.
Sure, I chit-chat with loads of people about many aspects of farming and marketing (coordinator of a local farmers market, CSA operator, farm stand, etc.), but I get something out of it in a give-and-take atmosphere. To sit down and organize/interview/photograh/write an article is basically non-productive time if I don't get some compensation for it. We don't ask doctors, lawyers, tradespeople to do articles without compensation. Why ask it of a writer, professional or not. If the material is good enough to publish it is good enough to pay for it.
By the way, I also subscribe to the publication.
Ann

If I remember correctly, Ken S. told us some time ago (years) that the Intentional Peasant was jd. jd was a fine writer and could spin a story the old time way.

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Mess with me? I may let karma take care of it. Mess with my family? I become Karma.

Explorer: That would be news to me, but wouldn't be a particular surprise.

One of the dominant C-S philosophy has been the 'reader written' aspect. If they went to paying for submissions I suspect some of that would be lost. Note my suggestion above they might consider a subscription extension. Say item is more than a filler item - one issue extension. More but one page or less - two. 1-3 pages - three. Major submission - one year.

C-S does pay some frequent submitters for major work. For example, if you volunteered to write a column in each issue on "The Family Milk Cow", then perhaps there would be some payment involved.

Ken,
Reader written doesn't mean the person isn't both a farmer and a writer. I just think that you don't get the most information in a mostly reader written publication because MOST readers are not writers and it scares them to death...kinda like speaking before a crowd.
I just made the point to show that writers also want to make a living and if they are farmers too, it is the best of both worlds. I consider a reasonable/low ball compensation to be something like $75-100 for an 800 word article, with a little extra for photos. Four of those each issue might add to the diversity of subjects with both professional writing AND farmer experience, and not be a tremendous burden financially to the magazine.
Since several have said here that they are not as enthusiastic about the publication as they had been in the past, it is just a suggestion to try to keep people interested. It doesn't take many extra subscriptions to cover $400 a month (for four articles, for instance), nor does it take many cancellations or non-renewals of dissatisfied readers to cover that amount.
It is just a suggestion which you are welcome to pass on to the powers that be, since you seem to know them personally.
By the way, do you know what their circulation is?
Ann

Once a year a periodical has to publish their ownership and circulation. May be among the articles rather than on the normal editorial page. You can likely find it by going through back issues.

I have found the reader-written post to be by far the most informative!

Any text book will tell you that when you are raising widgets, do x,y, and z.

A reader-written post might say "I did a, y, and z and this happened. I fixed it by doing Q."

There is a greater depth and variety of information on the reader-written articles.

I heard that several years ago, maybe late 90's. My memory must have slipped a cog or two, sorry for the misidentification.

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Mess with me? I may let karma take care of it. Mess with my family? I become Karma.

Terri,
Please read my post again. I am saying that a lot of farmers are also professional (get paid for) writers, and if they paid some of them, you might get some good stuff, too...based on their experience.
Ann

Also they should have a memory lane type article.
Reprint JD's stories from the beginning when he printed his magazine in the garage of his one acre homestead.
I still can't get over what all they had on that little homestead.
It would be an inspiration for those with the will but not much land.

Also it is a lesson that times have not changed all that much. JD (Jerry then)
was worried about how he was going to feed his family when our countrys economy crashed.
We still worry about that today.

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Corky

LEAD ME NOT INTO TEMPTATION. I CAN FIND IT BY MYSELF.

Anniew, I agree with you. Although I like the concept of "reader written", I think they would do well to offer incentive to folks who would take time out of a busy schedule to write an article that would grab my interest.

I love the magazine, but lately, the submissions are not very inspirational. I will continue to subscribe, much like I keep livestock that I love, but no longer "earn their keep". I would love to see more stories from folks who have cut expenses to a bare minimum; folks who really do shop twice a year. Inspire me! Help me go where I really want to go!

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I cried because I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet.

It's actually in this month's issue.

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Zealot: Going back to your original question Anne-marie says she does not remember seeing your submission. Perhaps you should resubmit.

Ken, thanks for helping Anne-Marie.
I too have taken the Mag for several years. I have issues back to the 70's
I admit that I don't need the help the mag once gave me so I also skim over a lot of stuff but.....
It still needs to have that stuff, and yes, it needs to repeat things so the new homesteaders will get the help that we once needed.
I do think they have gotten away from the small stock part. There is always a little bit still in there but I think it has to do with the fact that they have spun off and have a separate mag for chickens and goats now.
Also, they probably don't get the input needed for other small stock and they probably don't raise them themselves anymore as they are too busy putting out these mags.
It all goes back to input. input, input!
They still won't be able to please everyone but I know they care about what you all think.
Keep at it Anne-Marie and all the rest of your hard working staff.
Tell your Dad we all say hi and of course we miss him.

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Corky

LEAD ME NOT INTO TEMPTATION. I CAN FIND IT BY MYSELF.

I am sure Anne-marie would welcome your comments directly as well. Editors tend to grow thick skins. Addy is annemarie@tds.net.