Old Farmer’s Almanac: Guiding farmers for over 200 years

Rick Patrick
ECB Publishing, Inc.

During this time of year, anyone interested in planting, from full-time farmers to weekend gardeners, would consult the Old Farmer's Almanac. Whether it was in Jefferson County or anywhere else in the nation, one could find information in the almanac about what to plant, when to plant and helpful hints on how to get the most from one's efforts.

Founded in 1792 by Robert B. Thomas, the Old Farmer's Almanac is the oldest continually published periodical in North America.

When it was first published, a copy would cost about six pence (four cents). Today, a paperback copy of the 2020 Old Farmer's Almanac can be purchased for approximately $7. The online version is available for $4.95.

The publication is famous for it's coverage and prediction of astronomical events, weather forecasts, humor, old folk wisdom and the hole in the upper-left of the book so it could be hung on a nail for convenient access in the barn or shop.
For over 200 years, it has been an icon of Americana.

There is a lore-filled story that Abraham Lincoln used the Old Farmer's Almanac to win a court case when he was practicing law in Illinois. Lincoln was representing William Armstrong, who had been charged with murder. A witness claimed to have seen the crime by the light of the moon during the evening of Aug. 29, 1857. The story goes that the almanac stated that the moon that evening was in its first quarter and was low on the horizon, hardly providing enough light to definitively illuminate a crime. The actual almanac was not presented in court, so it is up to question whether it was the Old Farmer's Almanac which was used or not. Other competing almanacs have also claimed that role in history.

Whether Lincoln used the Old Farmer's Almanac to win a court case or not can be debated. One thing is certain: farmers and gardeners in Jefferson County and across the nation have used the Old Farmer's Almanac for valuable information on growing crops and recipes for cooking them for over two centuries.