Successful Farming Covers: 12 Issues of Today and Yesterday

Take a look back at 12 topics Successful Farming has tackled over the years. See how much technology - and styles - have changed. Our dedication to making farmers successful remains the same.

Hover over the slider in the center of each comparison, then click and drag right or left to reveal the entire cover. Older covers are on the left. More recent coverage of the topic is displayed in the right image.

1. Farm Labor

Labor in agriculture has been a topic of concern for a number of years. We covered hiring and inspiring great employees in March 2006. Twelve years later we shared the stories of farm families who have found unique ways to find and keep the help they need. You can read the March 2018 cover story here.

2. Grain Storage

Storing grain has helped farmers overcome down commodity price cycles for decades. We explored the technology available for farmers in the harvest issue of 1979 and again in August 2015. Most recently the USDA reported on-farm storage has grown to 13.45 billion bushels across the country.

3. Harvest Hustle

Time is of the essence during harvest season. Successful Farming regularly covers new ways farmers can be more efficient when it matters the most. For example, in this article Successful Farming magazine's Combine Doctor, Rodney Edgington explains how to inspect your combine to avoid mid-harvest breakdowns. 

4. Monitors

Can you believe how much in-cab monitors have changed over the last 10 years? While technology has changed rapidly over the last decade, a monitor is only as good as the data it collects. Five years later, a warning from Kent Shannon in this article still rings true. “Remember, garbage in equals garbage out,” he says.

5. Mapping

Maps have also dramatically changed how many farmers manage their ground in recent years. In the 8 years since Treasure Maps made the cover of the May 2010 issue mapping technology has exploded. Read more in this recent article.

6. Online Auctions

Online farm machinery auctions continue to play a role in the marketplace. Look how much has changed since computers first brought buying and selling used machinery to farmer's fingertips.

7. Outstanding Farmers

Successful Farming is proud to have a tradition of highlighting the innovative ways farmers do business and impact their communities. In 2001 and again in 2017 these inspiring families were featured in the cover story. You can find several of them in this article, 10 Successful Farmers in 2017.

8. Soybeans

Seed and chemical technology for soybean farmers has also changed significantly over the years. As the cover story in 1999 and 2011, Successful Farming is committed to helping farmers grow quality, high-yielding crops profitably. This year, for the first time in U.S history farmers are projected to plant more soybeans than corn.

9. Spraying

The option to spray pesticides and fertilizers remains an important tool in the toolbox farmers have, but the methods sure have changed. Nearly 40 years after "big sprayers" made the March 1979 cover, Successful Farming is still sharing ways farmers can be more effective this spraying season.

10. Top Shops

For more than 20 years farmers have shared their shops of all shapes and sizes in the magazine, and on Successful Farming TV. If you are building a new workspace for your farm take a few tips from farmers that have designed solutions to fit their operation's unique needs. Some of the best ideas in the business were highlighed in these issues from 1999 and 2009.

11. UTV

Utility vehicles have become an important tool for farmers. Successful Farming regularly puts the newest models to the test to help farmers determine the best fit for their operation. Our most recent UTV tests made the cover of the May 2017 issue.

12. Women in Ag

Successful Farming has been reporting about women in agriculture for more than 40 years. Watch this video clip to meet four female big-time operators that were featured on the Mid-February 2017 cover of the magazine.