New farming magazine launched for young readers
A new "fun and fact-filled" magazine, titled AG MAG, has been launched, aimed at young Irish farmers and their families,
The new magazine, which is priced at €4.95, is a 68-page bi-monthly publication created especially for young Irish farmers and their families, according to Stephen Keane and Padraig Fitzsimons, who are behind the venture.
Keane, a former primary school teacher, is also founder of News Mag Media, who are publishers of curriculum-linked primary school magazines The Primary Planet, News Flash and The Fact Factory, said to be the world’s first audio-print scientific magazine series for children with print disabilities.
Keane said: "Both Padraig's and my grandfather were farmers. My other grandfather, as well as my father and uncles, had a butcher's shop and meat business throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, which I diligently worked in as a young man growing up in the 1980s.
"Growing up in a rural town like Drumshanbo, farming was very much a way of life for everyone," he said.
Keane said the magazine was inspired by another title from the News Mag Media stable.
"The idea for the magazine came from years of publishing our children's news magazine, The Primary Planet.
"The farming section has always been one of the most popular pages and still is. Kids loved reading it, sending in their own farming news, photos and updates from their farm.
"So we've known for a long time about the real appetite kids have for all things ag and farming and the value this content brings even for non-farming kids.
"We trialled AG MAG as a 16-page supplement last year in The Primary Planet and we knew pretty much straight away that kids loved it and wanted more of it," Stephen said.
The two men have to date funded AG MAG through a combination of their own investment and corporate support in the form of both title sponsors and project partnerships.
"We are indebted to FBD who have come on board as title sponsors for this season. They shared in our vision and mission to engage young readers with ag content that has the power to both inform and inspire," Keane said.
"We are also hugely grateful to Teagasc and the Health and Safety Authority, who have worked with us every step of the way since we first began the project in earnest in September 2024.
"To make AG MAG a true success, we need the support of the industry and are currently seeking more partners - both project and content - for the year ahead.
"We have a lot to offer tomorrow’s farmers, but we can’t do it alone," Keane added.
The plan is that every issue of AG MAG will contain farm-focused news and real-life features; farm visits and stories from young farmers; tractor and machinery profiles; safety tips and expert advice; fun facts and activities for the family; QR-linked extras for extended learning; and regular columns by ag influencers Sophie Bell, Eoin Lynch, Katie Larkin, and Glyn Egan.
Asked about the challenge of launching a new print magazine at a time when more and more publications are going online, Keane said: "Migration online is inevitable - and valuable - but not at a young age.
"As both publishers and parents, we really believe in screen-free reading for children, and we know we’re not alone.
"So many parents are crying out for screen-free alternatives. Kids will arrive online in their own time but with AG MAG, we’re doing all we can to give them something they can hold, read, and talk about at the kitchen table.
"That kind of engagement is rare these days which, in my opinion, makes it priceless."
The new AG MAG website is now live, featuring quizzes, polls, competitions, videos and slideshows to keep readers engaged between issues.
"At a time when so much of children’s media is online, we wanted to create something they could hold, read and enjoy without a screen,’" said Keane.
"‘AG MAG is a way for families to connect, learn and chat about farming life together, all while encouraging a love of reading. As our tagline reads: today’s ag readers, tomorrow’s ag leaders."
