Regional publishing giant Archant is to regularly publish a new regional farming title alongside its Eastern Daily Press and East Anglian Daily Times newspapers following a positive reception to the pilot edition published last autumn.
The new title – East Anglian Farming World– aims to tell the story of farming in the region “in a way that we believe has not been told before”, says editor Shaun Lowthorpe.
“To many minds, farming is a traditional practice, which conjures up nostalgic images of a long lost rural world,” he explains. “And yet the reality could not be further from the truth; farming is an innovative field where technology and science all combine, underpinned by a spirit of enterprise and entrepreneurship.
“With the food and science research centres of Norwich and Cambridge on our doorstop, we also want to make the link between farming and science, which comes together during Agri-Tech, a week in November when a series of conferences and events showcase the latest innovations in the sector.”
Archant’s farming coverage in the region has been contained within its two flagship daily newspapers and this is set to continue. East Anglian Farming World will feed an appetite for coverage that goes beyond the scope of the general reader.
The first two editions – three are planned for this year – cover political, business, livestock and crop topics, as well as industry, markets, land and machinery.
“We’ve had a great reaction to East Anglian Farming World since the pilot, with overwhelmingly positive feedback from detailed reader research,” says Shaun Lowthorpe. “We are now turning our thoughts to 2016 and as our research feedback has shown an appetite for more technical features and analysis, we have begun thinking about the kinds of stories we need to feature and I’m keen to uncover some new writers who have more specialist skills and knowledge to help.”
