Progressive Cattle: Progressive Publishing's Beef Title, Its Content and Team
Profile updated November 2026
Progressive Cattle magazine brings the farmer-first formula of an Idaho dairy publisher to beef producers. Launched in 2011 by Progressive Publishing, it covers grazing, herd health, genetics, facilities and ranch management for cow-calf and stocker operations across the U.S., with a Canadian edition as well. Here is how it came to be, what it publishes and who writes it.
| Launched | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Progressive Publishing, Jerome, Idaho |
| Parent company founded | 1987, by Leon Leavitt |
| Editions | Progressive Cattle (U.S.) and Progressive Cattle Canada |
| Digital home | AgProud.com, the company's combined site |
| Company contact | 238 W. Nez Perce, Jerome, Idaho; info@progressivepublish.com |
| Official website | AgProud.com |
History of Progressive Cattle
Progressive Publishing grew out of the dairy world. Founder Leon Leavitt, raised on a dairy farm in western Idaho and trained in dairy science at Utah State University, worked as a field man, herdsman and genetics sales rep before starting the company in 1987 with a single magazine for Idaho dairy farmers. The company was early online, launching a website in 2004, and moved into its current Jerome building in 2005.
As the company expanded, it applied the same practical, producer-written approach to new audiences. Progressive Forage launched in 2000, and Progressive Cattle followed in 2011 to serve beef producers, many of them neighbors and customers of the dairy and forage readers the company already reached.
Progressive Cattle Canada extended the brand north, and today the company describes itself as the leading independently owned agricultural publisher in North America.
Progressive Cattle Today
Progressive Cattle publishes in print and online, with content consolidated on AgProud.com alongside Progressive Dairy, Progressive Forage and Idaho Ag Proud. The site includes a dedicated cattle hub, grazing and herd health topic pages, podcasts and newsletters.
Being independent and family-run in rural Idaho shapes the voice: articles are practical, written by and for producers, and the company says its focus is always on the farmer.
What Progressive Cattle Is Publishing Now
Grazing and range
Grazing management, drought planning and pasture use, including recurring questions such as whether managing for drought is the new normal.
Herd health and genetics
Vaccination, calving, reproduction and bull selection pieces from veterinarians and extension specialists.
Ranch business and heritage
Facilities, marketing and land rental rates, plus western ranch history such as Owyhee County's cattle brands.
Progressive Cattle Editors and Staff
Progressive Publishing lists the following editorial contacts for Progressive Cattle:
- Carrie Veselka - Editorial staff, Progressive Cattle
- David Cooper - Editorial staff, Progressive Cattle
- Tyrell Marchant - Editorial staff, Progressive Cattle
- Leon Leavitt - Founder, Progressive Publishing
Writers from across the West contribute, including Jim Morris on Idaho cattle history and Erica Louder on rural Idaho.
Who Reads Progressive Cattle
Readers are commercial cow-calf, stocker and diversified operators, many of them in the West and Intermountain region. Beef cattle are the single largest category of U.S. animal agriculture receipts per USDA's Economic Research Service, and smaller herds still make up a large share of operations, which is exactly the audience a practical title like this serves.
Ranchers in Idaho and beyond know that cattle, weather and fences all conspire against a quiet day. For the comic side of that struggle, farm.FM publishes ranch humor and farm satire alongside general farm humor, all written with a working ranch in mind. The farm jokes there read best after the cows are fed and the water tanks are thawed.
For context, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site and the home of Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Its contributors each keep an archive, and this one is a good sampler of ranch humor and farm jokes.
Progressive Cattle Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- AgProud: Progressive Publishing company profile - the company's founding and titles.
- Utah State University: Leon Leavitt and Progressive Publishing - the founder's story from his alma mater.
- AgProud: Owyhee County cattle ranching history - an example of the magazine's ranch heritage coverage.
- USDA ERS: Cattle and calf receipts - the size of the beef sector.
- USDA FSA: Idaho 2022 Census of Agriculture data - state farm and ranch figures for Progressive's home state.
Progressive Cattle FAQ
When did Progressive Cattle start?
Progressive Publishing launched Progressive Cattle in 2011.
Who publishes Progressive Cattle?
Progressive Publishing of Jerome, Idaho, an independent family company founded in 1987.
Is there a Canadian edition?
Yes, Progressive Cattle Canada serves Canadian beef producers.
Where can I read Progressive Cattle online?
Its articles, podcasts and newsletters are on AgProud.com.
Built on a dairy publisher's farmer-first habits, Progressive Cattle magazine gives beef producers practical, producer-centered information without the corporate gloss.