A Fond Farewell

Name Confusion & Survival of the “Other” Almanac

• Many initially thought the famous yellow-covered Old Farmer’s Almanac was ending; several comments clarify it’s a different publication and still “going strong.”
• Some only discovered this Farmers’ Almanac existed because of the shutdown; others had never seen it in stores.
• Discussion notes there used to be many competing almanacs; this closure is seen as one competitor exiting, not the death of the genre.

Why It’s Ending: “Chaotic Media Environment”

• Linked press release blames “financial challenges” in a “chaotic media environment,” which commenters mostly interpret as: declining profitability, competition with free online info, and the collapse of impulse checkout sales.
• Debate over whether “nobody reads books anymore”: some cite rising or record book sales and bookstore reopenings; others emphasize falling literacy and youth reading-for-pleasure.
• Several argue that even if books sell, niche annual print references are squeezed by smartphones, Google/AI, and changing distribution (fewer bookstores, changed Walmart checkout).

Role, Content, and Accuracy of Almanacs

• Explanations describe a mix of astronomical tables, long-range weather forecasts, gardening advice, home tips, folk remedies, jokes, and general-interest articles.
• Multiple comments say long-range weather accuracy is roughly coin-toss level (~50%), despite higher self-claimed figures; one calls it “worse than random.”
• Some used it as a planning tool (e.g., vacations) and felt it “surprisingly accurate,” asking for the prediction method to be open-sourced.
• Others criticize pseudoscientific elements (e.g., “best days” to marry or cut hair by moon phase), calling it superstition or “twaddle,” while acknowledging people enjoy that folklore.

Weather Science vs. Almanac Forecasts

• Commenters point to official climate/seasonal outlooks (e.g., national and European centers) as evidence-based alternatives with documented skill scores.
• There’s discussion of why forecasts degrade beyond a few days, chaotic systems, and how both modern models and almanacs tend to revert to climatological averages at long range.
• Some wonder if climate change further undermines the usefulness of historically based long-range almanac predictions.

Nostalgia, Print, and Social Fabric

• Many express sadness at the end of a 200-year print institution, even if they only “skimmed” it.
• Broader lament about magazines and small local stores disappearing, replaced by Amazon/Google–mediated life, and the loss of physical “social hubs.”
• Extended debate on why people don’t pay to preserve local institutions, collective-action problems, and consolidation under large corporations.

Cultural Tangents

• Long thread digresses into 5‑digit years and the Long Now aesthetic, with some finding it clever and others performative and annoying.
• International commenters note similar long-running almanacs in Europe, underscoring that this form remains culturally persistent elsewhere.