Drovers Magazine: History, Current Profile, Beef Coverage and Editors
Profile updated November 2026
Drovers magazine calls itself the nation's oldest livestock publication, and the claim goes back to a winter day in 1873 when a market sheet first appeared on the bricks of Chicago's Union Stock Yards. More than 150 years later Drovers is Farm Journal's beef brand, delivered in print, online and on video. Below is its history, its current role, what it covers and the people behind it.
| Founded | January 11, 1873, Union Stock Yards, Chicago |
|---|---|
| Founder | Harvey L. Goodall |
| Original title | Chicago Daily Drovers Journal |
| Publisher | Farm Journal, since 2016 |
| Editorial leader | Angie Stump Denton, since February 2025 |
| Audience | Cow-calf, stocker, feedlot and allied beef industry professionals |
| Official website | Drovers.com |
History of Drovers
Vermont-born Harvey L. Goodall started the Chicago Daily Drovers Journal in 1873 by gathering prices from commission men in the Union Stock Yards. Those market reports were the forerunners of modern livestock market news. Much of the paper's early record, including any photographs of Goodall, was lost in the great 1934 stockyards fire.
In 1917 Ward A. Neff of Kansas City bought the Journal and joined it with the Drovers Telegram of Kansas City, Omaha's Stockman's Journal and East St. Louis's Livestock Reporter as the Corn Belt Farm Dailies. A 1901 Drovers Telegram editorial, Call It The American Royal, gave the Kansas City livestock show the name it still carries. Vance Publishing bought the papers in 1966; Drovers became a monthly magazine by 1990 and was sold to Farm Journal in 2016.
For nearly 40 years the voice of Drovers was Greg Henderson, only the fourth editor in its history, who died unexpectedly in August 2024. The Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame honored him posthumously with its 2026 Industry Leadership Award.
Drovers Today
Farm Journal named Angie Stump Denton editorial leader of Drovers in February 2025. A third-generation cattle producer, she spent a decade at the Angus Journal, edited Hereford World and worked in communications at Kansas State University before joining Drovers.
Drovers now runs as a multimedia brand: a print magazine, a daily newsletter, beef content across AgWeb and Farm Journal's broadcast shows, and The Future of Beef series streaming on Farm Journal TV.
What Drovers Is Publishing Now
State of the Beef Industry
The annual State of the Beef Industry survey and report is a Drovers franchise. The 2025 edition found 72% of producers optimistic about the future and 73% reporting profitability over the past five years.
Animal health and screwworm
Denton's on-the-ground reporting on New World screwworm has been a priority for producers watching the southern border.
Markets and outlook
CattleFax outlooks, fed cattle price forecasts and economist projections, such as a predicted $113 billion beef industry revenue year, keep readers on top of the cycle.
Drovers Editors and Staff
Drovers draws on Farm Journal's livestock and news teams. Current and recent contributors include:
- Angie Stump Denton - Editorial Leader, Drovers
- Michelle Rook - National News and Market Reporter, Farm Journal
- Chris Seper - Executive Vice President, Farm Journal brands
- Greg Henderson - Editor and editorial director (1984-2024), deceased
Reader mail goes to editors@farmjournal.com, the contact printed under Denton's column.
Who Reads Drovers
Drovers is read across the beef chain, from ranchers to feedlot managers and packers. Cattle and calves are the largest single category of U.S. animal agriculture receipts, according to USDA's Economic Research Service, which explains why a 150-year-old brand still has a full-time newsroom behind it.
Cattle people have always told the best stories at the sale barn, usually at someone else's expense. Readers who enjoy Drovers' market charts can find the other half of cow country at farm.FM, where ranch humor, farm satire and general farm humor are served straight. The farm jokes there were written for anyone who has argued with a gate, a heifer or a packer bid in the same afternoon.
farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, also runs Tractor Tunes, a country music lineup for farmers. For a sample of the writing, try the archive of one of its staff humorists.
Drovers Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Wikipedia: Drovers Magazine - a summary of the Chicago and Kansas City history.
- Drovers: Vol. 150, No. 1 - the 150th anniversary column on Goodall's founding.
- Drovers: Angie Denton takes the reins - Farm Journal's 2025 announcement.
- Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame: Greg Henderson - the 2026 Industry Leadership Award honoring Drovers' longtime editor.
- USDA ERS: Cattle and calf receipts - federal data on the size of the beef sector.
Drovers FAQ
Is Drovers the oldest livestock publication in the U.S.?
Drovers traces itself to the Chicago Daily Drovers Journal of 1873 and describes itself as the nation's oldest livestock publication and media brand.
Who owns Drovers magazine?
Farm Journal has published Drovers since buying it from Vance Publishing in 2016.
Who is the editor of Drovers?
Angie Stump Denton has been Drovers' editorial leader since February 2025.
What happened to Greg Henderson?
Longtime Drovers editor Greg Henderson died unexpectedly on Aug. 16, 2024, after nearly 40 years with the publication.
From Goodall's price sheet to streaming video, Drovers magazine has followed the cattle business for more than 150 years, and under Angie Stump Denton it is still where beef producers go to see what the market and the industry are doing next.