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Thank you for your interest in writing for Small Farm Quarterly. SFQ is for farmers and farm families across the Northeast who value the quality of life that smaller farms provide. Our goals are to…
Small Farm Quarterly is not just about being a good business manager and producing quality products. It’s also about the joys and challenges of farm living, the pleasures of raising kids on a farm, and the beauty of nature. It’s about working with neighbors and building community, and the importance of stewardship. It’s about good farming and good living that connects people, land and communities.
Small Farm Quarterly presents a "can-do," upbeat, positive attitude about small farms. At the same time we don’t shy away from challenging issues, and we encourage the respectful expression of diverse opinions and perspectives.
Unfortunately, Small Farms Quarterly is not able to pay any of our contributing writers at this time. We can offer up to ten free copies of the issue in which your article appears.
Small Farm Quarterly is for Northeast region farmers and farm families -- including spouses and children -- who value the quality of life that smaller farms provide. It is for full-time and part-time farmers, experienced and beginning farmers, and even folks who are just thinking about getting started in farming. We don’t use any particular definition of “small farm” but leave it up to the reader to decide if the shoe fits. Our focus is on dairy, livestock, and diversified producers. We offer some information on horticultural and other enterprises, but mainly in terms of diversification opportunities for small-scale dairy and livestock farms.
Northeast region writers are strongly preferred, although we include occasional articles from outside the region.
Farmers and farm family members are especially encouraged to contribute articles reflecting your own experiences. Don’t worry if you don’t have much experience writing – we are happy to edit your work.
Young writers are also especially encouraged. Our Youth Page is written by and for young people.
Small farm boosters are key contributors to Small Farm Quarterly. They include Cooperative Extension educators, researchers, USDA agency staff, and non-profit organizations. They also include consumers, farm neighbors, community leaders, planners, environmentalists and others interested in supporting small farms in the Northeast.
Below is a list of topics we are interested in addressing in Small Farm Quarterly. We’re also open to suggestions – tell us what you think would be interesting to our audience.
Commercial production: Dairy, Livestock, Grazing, Field Crops, forages. Diversification opportunities: Poultry, Forest/Woodlot, Maple Products, Bee Keeping, Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs, Specialty Crops. Machinery and equipment for smaller farms…
Production for the home: Home garden, Home produced lumber, Fire-wood, On-farm slaughter, On-farm food processing and storage….
Marketing: Marketing success stories, Marketing how-to’s, planning, Marketing opportunities: Direct marketing, CSA, farmers markets, Stores, Mail order, Internet, Cooperatives, Adding Value, Wholesale…
Home and Family: Livelihoods and lifestyles, Balancing farm & family, Parenting, Child-care, Farm Safety, Family activities, Recreation, Home schooling, Marriage Relationships, Eating healthy, Food safety, Farm family stories, Economics and budgeting, Health and disability insurance, Retirement….
Crossroads column: Questions and advice on personal and inter-personal issues often faced by small farm families.
Farm Business Management: Controlling costs, Managing risks, Keeping records, Dealing with lenders, Planning and budgeting, Farm tax tips, Government programs, Time management, Farm transfers, Wills and estate planning, Off farm investments…
Stewardship and Nature: Protecting soil and water quality; Wildlife on the farm; Learning from nature; Enhancing biodiversity, Conservation programs…
Getting Started in Farming: Success stories, managing a farm transfer, apprenticeship opportunities, legal considerations, what lenders look for….
Good Neighbors, Strong Communities: Stories about life in a farming community, neighbors helping neighbors, building relationships with non-farmers, connecting rural and urban communities…
Food For Thought: Big picture thinking, intriguing and inspirational ideas, opportunities and challenges facing small farms, the future of farming, opinion pieces, stories of small farming communities around the world…
Farm Follies: Humorous stories, jokes, and personal reflections on living and working on a small farm…
Youth Page: What you love (or hate) about growing up on a farm, why you wish you lived on a farm, why you want (or don’t want) to be a farmer when you grow up, your funniest farm experience, how-to articles for young readers, fun project ideas, games, quizzes & puzzles… Written by and for young readers.
Small Farm Profiles: Detailed stories of interesting small farms and the families or individuals who run them. Should include how they got stated in farming, current production system, marketing strategies, environmental stewardship issues, roles of family members including children, the family’s hopes and challenges for the future, words of wisdom for other small farmers…
Other: Book reviews, poems, drawings, or other items may be included.
Small Farm Quarterly articles should be simply and clearly written, friendly in tone, and should engage the reader through use of the first and second person (I, we, you) where appropriate. Avoid formal, impersonal or academic-sounding language.
Farmers love to read about other farmers. Wherever possible, use one or more real-life farms to illustrate your theme, either in the text of the article or as a sidebar. Interview the farm operator and family, and use direct quotes to add interest. Photographs of the family are strongly encouraged, but must be accompanied by a signed Release form (see below). We strongly recommend that you have your interviewees review and approve your article before sending it to us.
When you submit your article, it is important to include the addresses and phone numbers of your primary sources/interviewees. We usually include this information at the end of the article so the readers can contact them for more information. However, interviewees who wish to remain anonymous may do so - please let us know if this is the case.
We encourage the use of photos and other graphics such as cartoons, lineart, or charts to accompany articles. Or you can submit your favorite small farm photos without an article.
Digital graphics files may be sent as an email attachment. In the text of your email please provide information about each graphic (What? Where? Who?) for use in captions, along with the name of the photographer.
Digital photos and other graphics should be 300 dpi TIF or JPG in either BW or RGB or CMYK color. Images designed for the web are only 72 dpi and reproduce poorly in print.. Lineart is preferred at 1200 dpi Bitmap (BMP).
Alternatively, you may send color or black and white prints of photos by mail, along with caption information and name of photographer. Only color photos can be used on the cover. We cannot make a 100% guarantee that your photos will be returned, but if you include a SASE we should be able get them back to you. Keep in mind, however, that it may be quite a while before your article is published and the photos are returned
For letters to the editor, poems, jokes and other short submissions, simply send them to the Managing Editor (see below) either by email (preferred) or by mail.
For longer articles, we recommend that you first contact the Managing Editor by phone or email to discuss your idea. She may ask you to share your idea with one of our Editorial Team members specializing in the topic you wish to write about. If you have never written for us before, we may ask you to send a draft of your article or some other sample of your writing.
One of the Editors will let you know whether you should go ahead and submit the finished article, and will let you know approximately how long your article should be, generally between 800 and 2,000 words depending on the topic. Please be aware that this is not a guarantee that your article will be published.
When you submit your article, please include the addresses and phone numbers of your primary sources/interviewees. We may include this information at the end of the article so the readers can contact them for more information. Please specify if the source or interviewee does not wish to have their phone number or address listed at the end of the article.
We reserve the right to publish any materials received or to hold materials for publication at a later date (up to one year) unless you tell us otherwise in writing.
Small Farm Quarterly reserves the right to alter your manuscript for readability or space considerations. There will be no deliberate changes in the meaning of the text. Although every effort is made to avoid error, Small Farm Quarterly does limit its responsibility for any errors, inaccuracies, misprints, omissions, or other mistakes in the article content.
We prefer to publish original articles. We will consider reprinting an article only if it is:
If your article has been printed in another publication, please list the publications and dates published, and provide a written statement from the publisher giving permission for the article to be reprinted in Small Farm Quarterly.
Spring 2008 - February 1
Summer 2008 - May 1
Fall 2008 - August 1
Winter 2009 - November 1
Joanna Green
SFQ Managing Editor
Cornell Small Farms Program
135C Plant Science Building
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
607-255-9227
jg16@cornell.edu
