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Southeast Farm Press digital editions have audio on each story, plus easy-to-use videos and podcasts.

Brad Haire, Executive Editor

November 18, 2022

2 Min Read
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My first editor and good mentor said the length of an article should be long enough to make the point without wasting the reader’s good time, eyes or ears. He said you can measure that length three ways.

One way to measure the length is by the old standard number of column inches. A column inch fills one column wide by one inch high in a newspaper or magazine. “I need 14 column inches on that now!” he’d say.

Though not as precise as using column inches for composing the printed word, using good old word count works, too. “That’s about 450 words.”

The third way to measure came naturally to me. “I need a one-timer on that!”

A ‘one-timer’ to my former editor was an article long enough to engage the reader for, well, as long as it takes for a one-time sit down potty break in the bathroom, which, he said, was the location many a good article was enjoyed.

That was 25 years ago, but the reader’s time to read an article remains as important now as then and before.

Today, we’re honored when someone tells us they’ve framed an issue of Southeast Farm Press to give to a respected person featured in the issue or when someone requests a few additional copies of an issue to share with others. We’re equally honored when someone emails a link from an SEFP article with an encouraging comment about it.

We provide you with information to help make your operation more successful. We are dedicated to that. But as with many businesses, we find delivering a timely printed publication to your mailbox increasingly challenging. We will still deliver the same number of issues next year, but fewer will be ‘print’ issues. But that’s okay. We plan to meet that challenge with more interactive digital issues.

Don’t miss any issues of Southeast Farm Press. Please go to the website and see all the issues to date (both print and digital) at any time. Sign up to get the digital edition notifications there, too.

We will make the digital edition as valuable to you as the print edition has been over the years. The digital edition has audio on each story, plus easy-to-use videos and podcasts. 

If you need help using the digital edition, feel free to contact our customer service group at 800-441-1410 or [email protected]. They will be happy to help you.

Whatever the word length, we promise to make it worth your time wherever you choose to read, watch or listen.

Thank you for being our valued subscriber.

By the way, this article would fill 14 column inches and is about 450 words.

Click picture for digital edition example.

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About the Author(s)

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