Contribute to the Small Farms Quarterly

We invite anyone to submit an article relevant to our farming readership in the Northeast. Articles can not promote a specific business or product, but should be intended as an educational piece. Please read over the guidelines below before sending us an article. We reserve the right to publish or not to publish any materials received. We also may hold materials for publication at a later date.

First time submitting? Before submitting an article, we recommend that you first contact Managing Editor Kacey Deamer by phone or email to discuss your idea.

Ready to submit? If you've read over the guidelines below and are ready to send us an article, please download the form here. Open the document, and replace the red text prompts with your own words and information. When complete, email to kacey.deamer@cornell.edu with subject “SFQ Submission” and attach at least two high-quality images.

Contributing an image? For your convenience, use our online form and please provide your e-signature. This is needed only if a photo features one or more identifiable adults, or if the featured subject(s) is under age 18.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Small Farms Quarterly?

Thank you for your interest in writing for Small Farms Quarterly. This magazine is for farmers and farm families across the Northeast who value the quality of life that smaller farms provide. Our goals are to:

  • Celebrate smaller-scale, family-oriented farming in the Northeast
  • Inspire and inform farm families and their supporters
  • Help farmers share their expertise with one another
  • Increase awareness of the multiple benefits that smaller farms contribute
    to society and the environment
  • Share important research, extension, and other resources with small farm operators and their families
  • Present a positive, upbeat, "can-do" attitude about small farms
  • Encourage the respectful expression of diverse opinions and perspectives

The Small Farms 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.

All submissions are reviewed by members of the Editorial Team. The Editor in Chief, Anu Rangarajan, and Editorial Team reserve the right to reject submissions that are not consistent with SFQ's goals.

What are the important deadlines?

Winter 2023

Spring 2023

Summer 2023

Fall 2023

Winter 2024

Submission Deadline

November 18, 2022

February 17, 2023

May 19, 2023

August 18, 2023

November 17, 2023

Publication Date

January 9, 2023

April 3, 2023

July 3, 2023

October 2, 2023

January 8, 2024

Who are the target readers?

The Small Farms Quarterly is for Northeast region farmers and farm families 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 readers include small farm producers of dairy, livestock, fruits, vegetables, and forest products. Many operate diversified farms. 75% of our readership lives in New York.

Who are the target writers?

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 help edit your work.

Small farm Service Providers are key contributors to Small Farm Quarterly. They include Cooperative Extension educators, researchers, USDA agency staff, and staff of non-profit organizations. They also include consumers, farm neighbors, community leaders, planners, environmentalists and others interested in supporting small farms in the Northeast.

What kind of article topics are you looking for?

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.

  • Farmers' Life: Send us a story about your life on the farm, your reminiscences, poems, recipes, questions for other readers or for Cornell specialists, or just a letter.
  • Resource Spotlight: Information about an organization, program, publication, website, service, or other resource that small farmers in the Northeast should know about.
  • Small Farm Profiles: Detailed stories of interesting small farms and the families or individuals who run them.
  • General Topic Areas:
    • Business Management
    • Livestock & Dairy
    • Forestry & Agroforestry
    • Niche Products
    • Fruits
    • Vegetables
    • Soil Health
    • Stewardship
    • Urban Ag
    • Tools & Technology
  • Other: Book reviews, poems, photo essays, drawings, or other items may be included.

How long should my article be?

Most articles should be be between 1,000 and 1,400 words. A "Resource Spotlight," which describes a useful publication, organization, website, or other resource relating to the topic and referenced in the article, should generally be under 300 words. Where appropriate, we encourage authors to provide a side bar to accompany your article and direct readers to additional information.

What kind of style and content are you looking for?

The Small Farms Quarterly features articles that are simply and clearly written, warm and friendly in tone, and engage the reader through use of the first and second person (I, we, you) where appropriate. Avoid formal, impersonal or academic-sounding language. Whenever possible avoid the use of technical jargon that is not common to the general public.

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 farmers and the farm family are strongly encouraged, but must be accompanied by a signed Photography Release Form. We strongly recommend that you have your interviewees review and approve your article before sending it to us.

What are the guidelines for photos and graphics?

All articles must be accompanied by one or more high resolution images. This does not apply to resource spotlights or letters to the editor. Other graphics such as cartoons, lineart, or charts may be included as appropriate.

All photographs featuring subject(s) under age 18 or personally identifiable adults must be accompanied by a signed photography release form.

All photos and graphics files should be sent as email attachments. Do not embed photos or graphics in your Word document. High resolution digital photos and other graphics should be 300 dpi TIF or JPG. Lineart is preferred at 1200 dpi Bitmap (BMP).

Will you alter my article at all after I submit it?

The Small Farms Quarterly reserves the right to alter your manuscript for style, readability and space considerations. There will be no deliberate changes in the meaning of the text. Although every effort is made to avoid error, the Small Farms Quarterly does limit its responsibility for any errors, inaccuracies, misprints, omissions, or other mistakes in the article content.

Can I submit a reprint?

We prefer to publish original articles. We will consider reprinting an article if it is:

  1. Well written, reader-friendly, and engaging
  2. Relevant and useful to Northeast small farm families
  3. And not already easily available to our readers through another publication.

If your article has been printed in another publication, please use the Article Submission Form to list the publication and date published, and provide a written statement from the publisher giving permission for the article to be reprinted in the Small Farms Quarterly.

Do you offer payment?

Unfortunately, the 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.

How do I submit my writing?

If you've read over the submission guidelines and are ready to send us an article, please download the form here.

Open the document, and replace the red text prompts with your own words and info. When complete, email to kacey.deamer@cornell.edu with subject "SFQ Submission" and attach at least two photos.

Still need more information?

Contact the Quarterly's Managing Editor, Kacey Deamer, at kacey.deamer@cornell.edu or 607-255-9238.