It is hard to believe this is our final issue of 2011. Last year, we introduced our plans for a new Canadian edition at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock, Ontario.
One year later, we returned to celebrate accomplishments made thus far and announce bigger plans for the future.
As you know, any time you begin a new project there is some uncertainty surrounding the results.
We had an inkling that there was a place for Progressive Dairyman in Canada.
We had a number of producers already reading our U.S. edition and several of our advertisers expressed interest, but until our first issue arrived in mailboxes, we truly didn’t know how it would go.
Not only have we completed that first issue, we now bring you our sixth issue, as promised, for the inaugural year. What an amazing year it’s been!
We’ve adopted nearly 7,000 readers, with this issue going to 6,989 to be exact. When we started mailing the magazine in January we simply sent it to as many people as we could find.
It is one of our goals to make sure we are sending our magazines to people who actually want to receive them, and I’m pleased to say that 47 percent of you are now what we consider “requested subscriptions.”
However, that leaves 53 percent of you that we’d like to hear from. If you have not yet let us know you want to continue to receive your complimentary issues of Progressive Dairyman, please take a moment to fill out the subscription insert found within.
In addition, each issue of the year has been backed by an average of 65 advertisers with a total of 130 companies supporting us throughout the year.
We’ve heard from many of them, excited that you are noticing their ads and contacting them about their products.
From an editorial standpoint we’ve introduced a number of faces to you this year.
You’ve read about Don Penner at Benner Holsteins in Manitoba; Paul and Ari Ekstein and Don Schwartz at Quality Farms in Ontario; Chris Vandenberg of Ontario; Chuck and Emily Mattice of Ontario; and in this issue, Wally Smith of British Columbia and Wes Cairns of Saskatchewan.
We’ve also brought to you a number of Canadian authors such as Kathleen Shore, Grober Nutrition; Bill Woodley, Shur-Gain; Curt Bossuyt, Landmark Feeds; John Paul, Transform Compost Systems; Ellen Maclean, Genotek; Jamie Sullivan, Rippleview Hoof Care; Koos Vis, Intra Care; Deanna Hiemstra, SiloStop; Elaine Froese; Matthew Walpole, University of Saskatchewan; Dr. Larry Schaeffer, University of Guelph; Paul Meyer, Westgen; Bryan Quanbury, DairyBullsOnline; Trevor DeVries, University of Guelph; and Robert Larmer, Pioneer.
From our readers and advertisers to our interviewees and authors, we consider all of you our friends and partners in this new venture.
Thank you to each and every one of you for the role you have made in making this past year a success.
Personally, I was so pleased to have the opportunity to meet many of you in person at the farm show and on the Progressive Dairy Operators tour the following day.
Each and every conversation provided me more insight into your world, which helps me to provide more information to meet your needs.
If more is something you’re looking for, I’m happy to announce next year you will receive nine issues of Progressive Dairyman.
Every six weeks you will find the same great content as this year, as well as a few new features, some new authors and hopefully even more new advertisers.
