Last month was the 20th anniversary issue of Progressive Dairyman. Publisher Leon Leavitt recently wrote the following

commentary about how the magazine began and its growth during the last 20 years.

Publisher’s dairy background: I was raised on a dairy farm in western Idaho and graduated in Dairy Science from Utah State University. I worked as a fi eld man for Pet Milk Company in Utah; head fi eld man for Carnation de Mexico, S.A.; dairy herdsman for Cannon Dairy in Shelley, Idaho; DeLaval equipment dealer in Rupert, Idaho; sales rep for Carnation Genetics, Idaho. � en I became involved in a family cabinet enterprise for 10 years, followed by a two-year stint for a national direct mail service, where I learned the advertising industry.

� en one day in early March of 1987, I stopped in to see my friend and neighbor Dr. Bruce Bradley at North West Labs Inc. in Jerome, Idaho. Our boys were in the same Boy Scout troop, and we had participated together in various Scout activities and projects. Bruce and I had previously discussed the possibility of me working as a fi eld man for his company to expand the

business’ exposure in the Idaho dairy community.

When I opened the door to his offi ce, Bruce had in his hand the fi rst copy of � e Progressive Dairyman, an eight-page fl yer to be circulated to North West Labs’ clientele. He had just received his copies from the printer and felt it needed improvement. � is struck a responsive cord with me, and I exclaimed, “I believe I can help you with this project.” I was contracted to ramrod the project along with Bruce’s wife, JoAnn, who was

the editor of the original publication. Bruce’s partner was Bob Whitchurch, a well-known dairy nutritionist. Bruce’s wife, Sharon, kept the books for the company and was responsible for circulation. Together with these two gals, we met our printing deadlines monthly.

I started contacting potential advertisers (several of which are still with us) and our next two issues were 16 pagers in length. By July I felt there was a better way to publish a magazine than a typewriter and bottles of Wite-Out. I sold some calves and bought our fi rst computer, an Apple Macintosh SE with a 9-inch screen and 4 megabytes of RAM. With some paste-up boards,

a waxer and roller, pica rulers, scissors and a homemade light table – we were ready to roll!

Being experienced with the printing industry, I suggested to expand the magazine to tabloid size, trimmed and stapled. � e July issue utilized this larger format and was up to 24 pages, printed by Burley Reminder Printing. We changed the front cover masthead and developed better layout uniformity throughout. All this while learning the intricacies and limitations of the design layout program called Scoop!, later known as Publish it!Easy. As expected, we had all the challenges of keeping the business afl oat and growing at the same time.

Progressive Dairyman’s standard procedure is to have all ads approved by the advertiser and all copy cleared by the authors. In those days this was done in person, or by phone, or by fax machine, and in some cases by overnight express mail. After the articles and ads were printed from our 300-dpi laser printer, we would cut them out to size and run them through the waxer then press them with a roller onto the paste-up sheets to take to the printer. � ere they would be photographed to make the negatives, which in turn would be used to make the plates for printing on a web press. Today this is all done by e-mail and in electronic (PDF) format.

� e business continued to grow. We added 10 Western states and had a Pacifi c version as well as a Northwest version. In 1990, I expressed interest in buying my partners’s stock in the

business, and we negotiated fi nal buy-out terms which required a second mortgage on my home. � e last issue JoAnn and Sharon were involved with was the April 1991 issue. I moved the equipment to my home, and the May 1991 issue was the fi rst issue I produced

on my own.

Musings on the rise and growth of Progressive Dairyman

July 1987 - November 2003

PD Publisher Leon Leavitt

Leon Leavitt with partners Sharon

Whitchurch (left) and JoAnn

Bradley (right).

JoAnn Bradley at work on the computer.

� e magazine at this time was at a consistent 32-page size, except for June Dairy month and the Christmas editions, which were usually 48 to 56 pages. For the next four years, I was assisted by my wife Jane, who was the editor; daughters Laura and Carolyn, who were copy editors and circulation controllers; and son Bryan, who was a fl edgling graphic artist. I recently found the time cards for my wife and children’s work hours. � eir beyond-the-call dedication ensured continuation of Progressive Dairyman during this time.

In July of 1995, my second-oldest son Alan, an English major who graduated from Utah State University, came on board full time. His fi rst full-scale article about Reitsma Dairy in August 1995 proved to me that he was the man for the job. Along with his writing skills, he launched into

advertising sales and quickly became adept in dealing with the many variables of a “fl edgling enterprise.”

A colleague in the printing industry counseled me to always get the best equipment you can to do the job because in the end, it will make you money, not cost you. Our fi rst digital camera cost us $995 in 1991. It only had black

and white capability with a pixel density of 1.5 megapixels, but it certainly was an improvement over the conventional fi lm cameras. We didn’t need color then

because it wasn’t required.

In 1995, we invested $20,000 in an image-setter to produce our own negatives. Not only did it save us money, but we had in-house control, could create our own

four-color separations and could reduce the turnaround time at the printer. It certainly paid for itself.

About every two years, we still upgrade the magazine’s older computers to newer, faster models. I’ve never looked back since purchasing my fi rst Apple computer. Apple computers are user-friendly, don’t give me any sass and are a dream to work on. I don’t have time to read manuals, call tech support to be put on hold and then to be patronized by someone who knows less than I do. Granted there is occasional exception to this statement, but those instances are few and far between.

In 2000, we bought Hay Quarterly (formerly Western Hay Magazine) and gradually expanded its circulation and editorial coverage, renaming it Progressive Hay Grower.

So over the years, the business has continued to grow – steadily. A big jump occurred in 2002 when my son, Glen, came on board. His unbridled enthusiasm helped us see the bigger picture, and we went national with our circulation for Progressive Dairyman and Progressive Hay Grower. In December 2003, the magazine’s masthead changed after 18 years.

Since then we’ve hired more editors, designers, offi ce assistants and salesmen. And I expect the trend to continue. In 2005 we started Ag Nutrient Management and moved into a new offi ce facility in Jerome. In 2006, we introduced El Lechero, a Spanish-English publication. � e growth has been phenomenal and exciting.

In retrospect, the last 20 years have been a challenging and exciting journey. I’ve enjoyed the variety the publishing industry off ers, especially in the dairy industry. It would be diffi cult for me to do the exact same thing every day – day in and day out. � e magazine publishing business has been satisfying to our family.

Dairy farmers are a unique breed of people. � ey’re driven not only by the fi nancial aspect of this challenging business, but also by their love for cows and the dairy lifestyle. It’s important to enjoy the journey. PD

Progressive

DAIRYMANserving dairymen nationwide

December 2003 - May 2006

Serving Dairymen Nationwide

Progressive

DAIRYMAN

June 2006 - February 2007

PROGRESSIVE

DAIRYMANMarch 2007 - Present

Celebrating20 YEARS

1987-2007

Progressive

DAIRYMANserving dairymen nationwide

Celebrating20 YEARS

1987-2007

ProgressiveDAIRY PUBLISHING

serving the ag industry nationwide

Leon & Jane Leavitt, PublishersAlan Leavitt, Associate PublisherGlen Leavitt, Advertising ManagerSal Gomez, National Accounts ManagerJeff Stoker, Classifi eds/AdvertisingLaura Marlatt, Circulation

Thank youThe staff of Progressive Dairy Publishing would like to thank the following

advertisers for 20 years of support and loyalty.

Walt Cooley, Editor: PDDaren Olsen, Editor: HG, ANM, ELRandy Hale, Production/DesignBill Paul, Production/Design Ray Merritt, Production/Design/WebmasterKatie Howell, Circulation

From the beginning 15+ years 10+ yearsBouMatic (local dealers) ABS Calftel Northside Implement

Evans Grain Bedmaster Concrete Roughening Nyssa Tractor Salvage

Gooding Green Chop DHIA DariTech Premier Insurance (formerly McDonald Insurance)

Hatfi eld Mfg. Fly Guard Systems DeLaval Direct (formerly Blue Diamond) Scales Unlimited

Huber Feed Service FSI Fabrication (formerly Farm Shop) DHI Provo Security West

Jackson Trucking Katolight of Idaho Dragt Dairy Construction Select Sires

M&K Dairy Equipment Meadow Brook Int’l Farm Credit Services Soy Best

United Dairymen of Idaho Mitch’s Repair Genex Supreme

Vance Dairy Construction R&L Greenchop Jersey Marketing Service Tidenberg’s Welding & Repair

Westfalia Surge (local dealers) Tillamook Concrete Grooving Lake City Int’l (formerly Magic Valley Int’l) Treasure Valley Mixer Feeders

WSI-Western Stockmen’s Vandenberg Mfg. Magic Valley Pipe & Steel Whatcom Mfg.

Monsanto

April 1988 Vance Corp.

Marion and Barbara Vance started in the building business in the 1960s when they constructed the Williams Dairy near Homedale, Idaho. Even though they had built several homes in the area and completed some remodeling projects for local dairymen, dairy construction didn’t really get serious for them until 1980, when they constructed their fi rst all-concrete barn.

Feb 1992 – Special Edition IDAHO The Land of Milk and Money

This was a fun one. It was handed out at the Tulare Farm Show (now World Ag Expo). It was to encourage dairymen in California, Washington and elsewhere that Idaho is the new place to build a dairy. This was about marketing and selling Idaho! Advertisers kept copies of this issue in their offi ces and handed them out to potential clients. It was one of the best special issues that we have produced – even with what is considered today as old-fashioned publication methods.

May 1992 Armenian Milk Run

We covered what was then the largest single milk shipment for humanitarian aid in history. The article included details all the way from dairyman Leon Savage’s campaign to neighbors to the milk processor who processed 155,550 pounds of donated milk from dairy producers in Utah and Idaho. The milk was shipped from Gossners in Logan, Utah, to Yerevan, Armenia, via Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah where it was loaded aboard a giant C-5 cargo plane. It was truly a remarkable adventure, and one I’ll never forget.

August 1993From Trona to Buffers

I went underground near Green River, Wyoming, to learn about TRONA, the source of bicarbonate and S-Carb® for the livestock industry. I saw a part of the world I had never seen before. It was truly amazing.

November 1997 Limestone Quarry near Dubois, Idaho

I spent a half-day with Chuck Wilson at a limestone quarry near Dubois, Idaho. The Wilson’s property contains limestone deposits tested at 90 to 95 percent pure calcium carbonate. The story went into an issue discussing why dairy diets should include limestone. It was very educational – for me and our readers.

Over the years, there have been hundreds of interviews, farm visits, meetings, conferences, etc. that I have attended. I particularly enjoy writing stories about new facilities, new products, new methods and innovations. It’s really hard to pick out the best stories from 20 years of dairy industry editorial coverage, but here are some of my favorite ones. — Leon Leavitt

To read these articles in their entirety,visit /anniversary

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