''Hoards Dairyman'' is an American agricultural

trade publication A trade magazine, also called a trade journal or trade paper (colloquially or disparagingly a trade rag), is a magazine or newspaper whose target audience is people who work in a particular trade or industry. The collective term for this a ...

that focuses on

dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...

. It was founded in 1885 by William D. Hoard as a supplement to the ''Jefferson County Union'' and is published in

Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin Fort Atkinson is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. It lies along the Rock River (Illinois), Rock River a few miles upstream from Lake Koshkonong. The population was 12,579 at the 2020 census. Fort Atkinson is the largest city ...

History

The ''Dairyman'' was founded in 1885 in Fort Atkinson,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, by William D. Hoard as an expansion of regular agriculture columns he wrote in the ''Jefferson County Union''. It began as a four-page

folio The term "folio" () has three interconnected but distinct meanings in the world of books and printing: first, it is a term for a common method of arranging Paper size, sheets of paper into book form, folding the sheet only once, and a term for ...

supplement to the ''Union'' and became a wholly separate publication in 1889. The publication grew rapidly, rising from 700 subscriptions to the folio in its first year to more than 6,000 subscriptions by 1889. Hoard used the magazine to advocate for new agricultural techniques, including the use of

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial plant, perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, ...

as cattle feed, the use of

silo A silo () is a structure for storing Bulk material handling, bulk materials. Silos are commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Three types of silos are in widespread use toda ...

s to store

silage Silage is fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation (food), fermentation to the point of souring. It is fed to cattle, sheep and other ruminants. The fermentation and storage process is called ''ensilage'', ' ...

, and the use of the Babcock test to measure the level of

butterfat Butterfat or milkfat is the fatty portion of milk. Milk and cream are often sold according to the amount of butterfat they contain. Composition Butterfat is mainly composed of triglycerides. Each triglyceride contains three fatty acids. Butt ...

in milk. Advocacy for the use of silos had particular success; by 1925, one-fourth of all silos in the United States were on the farms of ''Dairyman'' subscribers. Hoard also used the magazine to advocate for legislation, such as using the ''Dairyman'' to organize a letter writing campaign to increase regulations on the sale of

oleomargarine Margarine (, also , ) is a spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The spread was ori ...

in 1895. Hoard led the publication until his death in 1918, when he was succeeded as

managing editor A managing editor (ME) is a senior member of a publication's management team. Typically, the managing editor reports directly to the editor-in-chief and oversees all aspects of the publication. United States In the United States, a managing edi ...

by Arthur J. Glover. By the mid-1920s, the ''Dairyman'' had an international audience, with readers in Japan, Australia, and England. By 1985, circulation had grown to 180,000 in 104 countries. That year, 91% of milk producers in the United States received the ''Dairyman''. As of 2021, circulation of the magazine had declined to 47,650.

Hoard's Dairyman Farm

In 1899, Hoard established Hoard's Dairyman Farm north of Fort Atkinson. Described by the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' as the "best-known dairy farm in the world," the property was used as a means to increase the credibility of the ''Dairyman'' and as a place to conduct agricultural experiments. It was where Hoard proved the efficacy of alfalfa as cattle feed. The farm maintains the oldest continuously registered herd of

Guernsey cattle The Guernsey is a breed of dairy cattle from the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is fawn or red and white in colour, and is hardy and docile. Its milk is rich in flavour, high in fat and protein, and has a golden-yellow tinge due ...

in the United States. Editorial staff of the ''Dairyman'' manage the operations of the farm.

References

{{Reflist

External links

''Hoard's Dairyman''
Agricultural magazines published in the United States Business magazines published in the United States Food and drink magazines published in the United States Jefferson County, Wisconsin Magazines established in 1885 Magazines published in Wisconsin Newspaper supplements

History

Hoard's Dairyman Farm

See also

References

External links