When a periodical closes down, it's generally not sufficiently newsworthy to mention. A lot of newspapers have closed down recently. But, how about when one that has been in continuous publication for over two centuries closes? This was recently announced, and at that age, its passing rates a mention. The publication is the Farmers' Almanac and it has published annual editions regularly since 1818. No one alive was around to witness the publication of its first edition and very few even have grandparents who were alive that far back. It is a remarkable feat.

 

Before we proceed, we do need make a critical distinction. The Farmers' Almanac is not the same as the Old Farmer's Almanac. That publication is even older, having been founded in 1792, and it is the better known of the two. They issued a statement reassuring their readers they are still going strong and their almanac “isn't going anywhere.” They added, they “will be around for generations to come.” The Old Farmer's Almanac is published in New Hampshire while the Farmers' Almanac is published in Maine. Two centuries ago, almanacs were more popular and rural people in particular relied on them. They would tell you when to plant and harvest and all sorts of good things people on the farm needed to know. Most people lived on a farm two centuries ago. And, then they provided weather forecasts. More about that later.

 

The Farmer's Almanac described itself as “a compendium of knowledge on weather, gardening, cooking, home remedies, managing your household, preserving the earth, and more.” Speaking of the printed edition they said, “the Farmers’ Almanac provides amazingly accurate long-range weather predictions, but each edition contains informative articles, helpful planning calendars, and information on everything from the best days to garden and fish, quit a bad habit, plus natural home remedies.” Adding for the online edition they say, “You may access our famous long-range weather predictions and 'Best Days' to garden, go fishing, wean farm animals, potty train your toddler, quit a bad habit...”

 

As for those “amazingly accurate long range weather predictions,” that is an amazing bit of hyperbole. Even legitimate meteorologists with the most advanced tools are lucky to get it 50-50. Both almanacs claimed 80% accuracy, which is less than accurate (the trick is to offer vague forecasts subject to interpretation). How can the Farmers' Almanac tell you what the weather will be like March 17, or a three-day block from March 16-18? They have a formula. “The Farmers’ Almanac weather predictions are based on a formula originally developed in 1818 by our founding editor, David Young. This formula incorporates many of the various techniques mentioned here, as well as sunspot activity, tidal action of the Moon, the position of the planets, and more.” In other words, they guess. It should be noted that the Old Farmer's Almanac does the same thing with the same level of (in)accuracy.

 

The reason for closing the almanac after 208 years of continuous publication is as you would expect – financial. It is no longer financially viable. They issued a statement noting, “...readers now access information and answers differently, and the trajectory of newsstand sales made this decision necessary. The financial challenges of producing and distributing the Almanac in today’s chaotic media environment, unfortunately lead to this decision.” In a land where the number of farmers needing information on when to plant is a small fraction of what it was in 1818, most people now prefer to get their inaccurate weather forecasts from trained professionals.