Australia’s leading farming and farm machinery titles, Farms & Farm Machinery (FFM) and New Farm Machinery (NFM), are joining forces in a landmark move that will deliver readers and advertisers alike a bigger, better and more widely read magazine.
To take effect from the December issue of FFM, on sale December 17, the move will bring together NFM’s unrivalled content – including news and independent test reviews of the latest tractors and farm machinery – with FFM’s market-leading new and used machinery classifieds into a single marketplace for farmers and farming contractors looking to buy or sell.
To be published under the iconic FFM masthead, the combined title will come in at close to 200 pages – double the current book size, and feature more than 30 pages of news and reviews of the latest tractors and farm machinery.
With the integration of Plant & Equipment magazine into FFM, effective November, the merged title will also feature a significantly expanded classifieds section incorporating 62 pages of forklifts and materials handling equipment; generators, compressors and other remote power sources; machine tools; and other plant and equipment for sale.
Market reach will be enhanced through the addition of NFM subscribers to the FFM circulation, which held steady at a market-leading 7,467 copies per issue in the latest audit period covering January-June 2015.
Graham Gardiner, Bauer Trader Media’s General Manager, Transport, Machinery & Marine, says the move is in response to market calls for a single title combining the respective strengths of both products.
It also reflects the enormous success of the titles’ shared digital platform, TradeFarmMachinery.com.au, which, through its unique combination of high-quality editorial content, new product specifications and used machinery classifieds, has seen traffic skyrocket over the past year to hit a record 74,558 unique visitors in September.
Sister title Earthmovers & Excavators enhanced its offering some 12 months ago through the addition of 32 pages of product news and reviews to its core classifieds offering, a move that has received positive market response.
“Offering a single publication that brings together NFM’s high-quality product news and reviews, with all the latest new and used farm machinery for sale, makes sense and will deliver enormous benefits to farmers and farming contractors looking to research, compare and buy or sell machinery,” he says.
“Advertisers, meanwhile, will profit from a broader readership of key industry decision makers drawn by the unique combination of content and classifieds.”