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AdMedia,  Sep 17, 2003  

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Is there room in the market for another farming newspaper? Country- Wide thinks there is...

Although they describe the current farming publications landscape as cluttered, Feilding-based publishers Tony Leggett and Dean Williamson think there's still space for another weekly farming paper - launching NZ Farmers Weekly (circulation 87,000) just in time for the lambing season.

Leggett and Williamson are co-owners of Country-Wide Publications (currently No 24 on the Deloitte/Unlimited list of New Zealand's 50 fastest growing companies), and already have one farming title in the mix - the monthly farm management magazine Country-Wide but they say NZ Farmers Weekly will cater for a need not currently met by the existing farming press. "Advertisers and readers are unclear of the role and position of each publication currently out there," says Williamson. "The market is cluttered and is in need of some rationalisation. Most farmers aren't reading all the general farming publications. They don't have the time. We give them a month to read Country-Wide and the Farmers Weekly will be a concise 24 or 32 pages."

So why will already busy farmers take the time to read the NZ Farmers Weekly? Williamson says it will come down to highly relevant editorial, with the paper's main focus being markets, scrutiny of company performance and commodity trends, in addition to covering any political and world news that's relevant to New Zealand farmers. Editor Nigel Stirling says content won't be abbreviated versions of stories already appearing in Country-Wide, as NZ Farmers Weekly's editorial staff are completely different.

"The existing farming press won't match either title for editorial quality," he says, "because they're stretching the same editorial resources over different editorial specialties [Country-Wide's emphasis will remain on farm management stories, says Williamson]. Specialisation by both our publications will ensure we cover news inside and outside the farm-gate equally well. We've got some of New Zealand's most respected and talented agribusiness and business writers and commentators."

Included amongst them are long-time agricultural radio and TV journalist Don Carson, former business editor at the Dominion and one time National Business Review editor Terry Hall, and former Christchurch Press deputy business editor Alan Williams. National Business Review columnist Neville Bennett will also contribute columns on the world economy and trends in commodity prices. In addition, Stirling says the new publication has done a deal for copy with Melbourne-based farming tabloid the Weekly Times, and British farming newspaper, the Farmers Guardian.

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