About Small Farm Canada

Small Farm Canada

Overview

Small Farm Canada is a national magazine for small-scale farmers and rural property owners in Canada. Published six times a year in print, with a free digital companion edition called Small Farm Canada Lite published in tandem with each print issue, it offers practical information on livestock, poultry, crops, gardens, soil, equipment and farm business management, mixed with farm profiles, rural living features, recipes and gardening advice. The magazine describes itself as the only national publication in Canada that specifically focuses on the special needs of small farmers and rural property owners. It is published by Farms.com Canada Inc. from Guelph, Ontario, and is distributed in every province and territory through paid subscriptions, newsstands and farm trade shows. Its website is smallfarmcanada.ca, and its International Standard Serial Number is ISSN 1710-4955.

History

Small Farm Canada was launched in 2004 by Tom Henry together with business partners Peter Chettleburgh and Violaine Mitchell, under Southern Tip Publishing Inc., based in Victoria, British Columbia. Henry, a founding partner, served as the magazine's editor, and the partners also launched a sister title, Service Truck, in 2013, covering the heavy-duty mobile repair business. Over its first decade and a half the magazine built a loyal national following among small farmers and rural landowners; its publisher describes its content as award-winning, and the magazine marked its 22nd volume year in 2025.

In September 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Farms.com announced that it had acquired Small Farm Canada and Service Truck from Southern Tip Publishing, whose partners were retiring from publishing. Farms.com president and CEO Graham Dyer said at the time that small farms account for over half of all farms in Canada and that their numbers were growing, and that the existing writing contributors would continue with the magazine supported by the Farms.com team. The magazine joined a Farms.com portfolio that already included the Guelph-based agricultural journals Better Farming and Better Pork. Under Farms.com the magazine has continued its six-times-a-year print schedule, developed its free Lite digital edition, and in 2026 editor Julie Harlow announced the formal naming of an editorial board of subject-matter experts to guide content and accuracy.

Programming and Content

Each issue of Small Farm Canada combines practical how-to journalism with stories from working farms across the country. Coverage spans livestock and poultry management, crop and soil care, gardens, small-farm equipment, farm business and marketing, and rural skills, along with recipes and gardening tips for everyday rural life. Recurring contributors include humourist Dan Needles, whose Larkspur Supper Club column offers sideroad inspiration, and Amy and Finn Hogue, who write on no-waste solutions. Recent issues have carried a "250 & Under" cover feature spotlighting smaller operations, with cover farms photographed from Nova Scotia to Ontario.

Issues are frequently themed. The January/February 2026 poultry issue included the magazine's annual list of Canadian hatcheries for small flocks, a look at new ways to market eggs and natural poultry remedies; the May/June 2026 soil issue focused on adding livestock to build soil health, rotational grazing and silvopasture; and the July/August 2026 issue was devoted to education, from traditional programs to short courses and online learning. Feature writing ranges widely, from a two-part profile of a ninth-generation farmer growing food in central Labrador to research explainers on organic pest management and cutworm control.

The magazine also carries classified advertising, handled by a dedicated classifieds contact on staff, a traditional feature of farm publications that connects readers buying and selling equipment, livestock and rural goods. Its advertising pages pitch the title to businesses wanting to reach a focused nationwide readership of small farmers, rural property owners and rural businesses, and the magazine notes that its readership keeps growing as more urbanites move to the land and look for information on farming techniques and equipment.

The website carries news articles, product information and reference sections on topics such as poultry breeds, cattle breeds and Canadian craft flour mills, and a year-end roundup of readers' favourite articles. Its most-read material mixes practical guides — how to start homesteading off-grid in Ontario, high tunnels for year-round growing, passive solar greenhouses — with news such as a January 2025 story on a British Columbia ostrich farm challenging a court order. Small Farm Canada Lite, the free digital edition, republishes print content in an online format six times a year. Full digital editions of recent issues are hosted on the Farms.com website, where readers can page through the magazine, including its 2026 editions.

In her June 2026 editor's letter, Julie Harlow wrote about formalising the magazine's use of experts, naming an editorial board to help guide content and maintain accuracy, reflecting the growing complexity of agricultural information. The letter also illustrates the magazine's personal, community-oriented tone, thanking a family member — a pediatric neurosurgeon — for encouraging the idea.

Audience and Reach

The magazine is aimed at small farmers, rural property owners and rural businesses across Canada, and its publisher says it is distributed in every province and territory. Farms.com's 2020 acquisition announcement cited a readership of up to 67,000, and the magazine's advertising information cites a readership of over 67,000, at 3.4 readers per copy; both figures are the publisher's own. Distribution is by paid subscription, by newsstands including feed and farm supply stores, and at farm trade shows. The print subscription rate listed in 2026 was $25.95 plus tax for one year, with a single-copy price of $5.95, while the Lite digital edition is free on request. The magazine points to a loyal readership with what it describes as renewal rates well above industry standards, and it acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada in its masthead.

Digital Presence

Small Farm Canada's website, smallfarmcanada.ca, publishes news and feature articles, new product listings and reference material, and promotes the print and digital editions. Full digital editions are also hosted on the Farms.com website, where readers can page through recent issues, including the 2026 editions. The magazine maintains a social media presence and sends newsletters to readers, and the free Small Farm Canada Lite edition is delivered digitally six times a year alongside the print issues. The site invites readers to suggest articles and to contact the editor directly with ideas.

Ownership and Organisation

Small Farm Canada is published by Farms.com Canada Inc., part of Farms.com, an agriculture media and information company with Canadian operations in Guelph, Ontario, and United States operations in Ames, Iowa. Farms.com acquired the magazine in 2020 from its founders' company, Southern Tip Publishing Inc. of Victoria, British Columbia. The magazine's editor is Julie Harlow. Its masthead lists Andrea Williams for design, Ashleigh Benedict for circulation and subscriptions, and Denise Faguy for marketing and operations. Within the Farms.com network, Small Farm Canada sits alongside magazines including Better Farming, Better Farming Prairies, Better Pork, Ag Buyer's Guide and US Farmer, and websites such as Agriville.com, AgCareers.com and a network of 15 state-level Ag Connections sites in the United States. Farms.com says it acquired the magazine because small farms account for over half of all farms in Canada, a market it expects to keep growing.

Contact and Availability

Small Farm Canada is published by Farms.com Canada Inc., 90 Woodlawn Road West, Guelph, Ontario N1H 1B2, telephone 1-866-260-7985. Print subscriptions are available across Canada, single copies are sold on newsstands, and the free Small Farm Canada Lite digital edition can be requested through the magazine's website, smallfarmcanada.ca.