"Made it Myself" Ideas Born in Farm Shops

Rural life and operating a farm can be challenging. Equipment is costly to buy and repair. Distance to the nearest large city can mean no daily trips to the store, when many times you need something to help do farm labor now. Sometimes a product doesn’t really suit the exact purpose you need it for. In those cases farmers use their creativity and work on making something themselves. Using scraps of this and that laying around they put together – sometimes unsuccessfully- exactly what they need. Of course if it works for them, surely there must be someone out there looking for the same thing. Farm Show Magazine is the source for sharing ideas and inventions made by everyday rural folk. I know around our farm its articles have been the topic of many conversations and have inspired a few of our own ideas.

Founded in 1977 by Harold Johnson, a farm journalist, it carries no advertising other than its own subscription information and is entirely reader supported. It is devoted to new, innovative and even odd products and product evaluations. Based out of Minnesota they send subscriptions all over the US, Canada and Europe. Mark Newhall bought out Johnson in the early 90’s but he has stayed true to the original concept of the magazine.

So where do these ideas come from? Readers can submit their invention, with picture and write up of what it was made for and how it was made. Anyone can submit a product, even if you haven’t made it, as the magazine staff will contact the inventor to speak with them about it before printing. The staff spends countless hours pouring over other publications, newspaper articles and magazines searching for little known products to feature in their own paper. They do not charge for submissions, but nor do they pay. I really like that after the Made it Myself article they feature the product inventors name, address, phone number or email so that readers are able to get in touch with them for additional information or to purchase a product. That really gives the credit to the inventor and is free advertising for them!

Printed on newsprint, the format is very much like a large tab newspaper. It is in black and white but does feature many color photos and borders around stories.
Other than Made it Myself products that are featured it has several other departments.
Editors Notebook gives a few products the editor wants to speak about, and also contains some reader submitted letters and information. Jokes, quotes and advice are all given as a bit of comic relief and for something to banter about over your coffee at the farm table.

Money Making Ideas to Boost Farm Income gives a couple of pages of opportunities that farmers could take to make a little extra cash. Readers will talk about how they got their business going and how they are doing. The opportunities are varied, and will suit many people depending on the amount of land needed or what your interests or time available is. Some examples are things like making worm compost, paintball ranges, quilting or making garlic products.

Farmers Nominate Best and Worst Buys are like express reviews of readers favorite products and biggest regrets. Around 3 pages of straight reading with very little for photos means you really need to have time to get through this “article” but you could very well save yourself from buying a dud in the future. One thing I don’t like about this regular is that it is set up with each readers best and worst together, with no categories for different kinds of products. I wish they would organize it better, like best and worst of vehicles, best and worst of power tools, best and worst of tractors, etc. Then if there was something I was specifically interested in I could just read that best and worst.

Farm women are kept in the loop to, having their own section called New Products Especially for Women and the Farm, Ranch and Home. Reader recipes line the outside column of the pages and items range from garden and home products to childrens items and even a baby crib made for a Peterbilt truck lover.

Money Saving Repairs and Maintenance Short Cuts is also reader submitted tips and tidbits on how they saved money fixing something themselves. It also includes product recalls, and alternative uses for everyday household items.

A page of Reader Letters includes some products that don’t get their own Made it Myself column, but are still fit to print and has smaller pictures attached to the stories.

Farm Show Marketplace is the only advertising, and it is one page of Farm Show oriented things like a Farm Show hat and back copies of the magazine that have been compiled into books or encyclopedias and even the whole 30 years of farm show on DVD with an index is available to buy. A great gift for a Farm Show addict!

This magazine is well read in our household. My father in law and husband use many of the articles as inspiration for their farm borne inventions, and I find some of the products even get me interested in making some things myself. I like the agricultural aspect of it, which includes all aspect of rural life, not just farmers, but people who live rurally and want to bring their ideas to life. Some products are quirky, and would make you laugh, but out there someone actually needs it and finds it useful. I would personally never make a wood cart that resembles a coffin, but it sure would be a conversation starter. I’m not quite mechanical enough yet to convert a combine to a self propelled grain cart, but the rotating gazebo would be lovely in my backyard!

Considering the Farm Show is only published bi monthly (6issues per year) it is quite expensive. $19.95 per year US or $25.95 per year CAN for subscription rates. Single issues are $5 US and $7 CAN. I suppose one way to look at it is it would be worth the money with what you will save in the long run making your own products and reading reviews on best and worst buys. Their website has a sampling of products and articles, a submission form if you want to submit your own Made it Myself product, and has links for subscribing. www.farmshow.com

I highly recommend this Farm Show Magazine to anyone who lives rurally or operates a farm of any size. The ideas are inspirational and neat, many of them getting a response of “Well Look at that, who woulda thought to make that?”