Progressive Farmer Magazine: History, DTN Ownership, Coverage and Editors
Profile updated November 2026
Progressive Farmer magazine marked its 140th year in January 2026, and it did so under only its eighth chief editor. Born in North Carolina as a campaigning farm paper, it became the voice of Southern agriculture, spun off one of America's best-known lifestyle magazines, and now sits inside DTN, the agricultural data and weather company. Here is its history, its current shape, what it publishes and who edits it.
| Founded | 1886, Winston, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Founder | Leonidas L. Polk, farm organizer and editor |
| Publisher | DTN (DTN/Progressive Farmer) |
| Magazine base | Birmingham, Alabama |
| Frequency | Published 14 times a year |
| Editor in Chief | Katie Dehlinger, from the January 2026 issue |
| Official website | DTNPF.com |
History of Progressive Farmer
Leonidas L. Polk launched The Progressive Farmer in 1886 to argue for better farming methods and a stronger political voice for growers in the South. Polk went on to national prominence in the Farmers' Alliance, and after his death in 1892 Clarence Poe took over as editor. In 1903 Poe and three partners bought the paper and turned it into a magazine; by 1908 it had more than 36,000 subscribers.
Through the twentieth century the magazine absorbed rivals, including Atlanta's Southern Ruralist in the early 1930s, and ran regional editions across the South. Its homemaking pages became so popular that the company launched Southern Living in 1966, a story told in the Alabama Review history of the brand. Ownership eventually passed through Time Inc.'s Southern Progress unit.
DTN, the Omaha-based agricultural information company, acquired The Progressive Farmer in 2007, pairing the magazine with DTN's real-time markets and weather network. In 140 years the magazine has had just eight chief editors. Gregg Hillyer, editor in chief from 2007, retired in January 2026 after 15 years at the top, and Katie Dehlinger became the first woman to hold the job.
Progressive Farmer Today
DTN/Progressive Farmer operates as a combined newsroom: DTN's digital desk reports markets, policy and weather daily, while the magazine goes deeper on production and farm business 14 times a year. The magazine is produced in Birmingham, Alabama, and the newsroom picks up national journalism honors regularly, including a sweep of the editorial category at the 2024 North American Agricultural Journalists awards.
A dedicated livestock edition, CattleLink, carries beef coverage for cow-calf and stocker operators, and the Field Posts podcast extends the reporting into weekly audio on technology, policy and business.
What Progressive Farmer Is Publishing Now
Farm business and land
Dehlinger built her byline on the Businesslink and Landwatch columns, and farm finance, land values and succession remain a core of the magazine under her leadership.
Crops, cattle and policy
Crops Editor Jason Jenkins, Senior Livestock Editor Jennifer Carrico and Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton anchor production and Washington coverage, while Russ Quinn tracks fertilizer prices.
Franchises
America's Best Young Farmers and Ranchers honors a new class each year, and the annual Top 10 Ag Stories recaps the year in farm news. The editor's page, We'd Like To Mention, has carried the magazine's voice for generations.
Progressive Farmer Editors and Staff
These names come from DTN's own announcements and bylines in 2025 and 2026.
- Katie Dehlinger - Editor in Chief, Progressive Farmer
- Greg D. Horstmeier - DTN Editor-in-Chief
- Chris Clayton - DTN Ag Policy Editor
- Jennifer Carrico - Senior Livestock Editor
- Dan Miller - Senior Editor
- Jason Jenkins - Crops Editor
- Russ Quinn - DTN Fertilizer Editor
- Gregg Hillyer - Editor in Chief 2007-2026, retired
Who Reads Progressive Farmer
Progressive Farmer serves commercial row-crop and livestock operators nationwide, with deep roots in the South and growing reach in the Plains and Corn Belt. Its cattle audience is large enough to justify a separate edition, which makes sense given that cattle and calves are the single largest category of U.S. animal cash receipts according to USDA's Economic Research Service.
One hundred forty years of serious farm reporting earns a break now and then. For the other side of rural life, farm.FM trades in farm satire and deadpan farm humor, with plenty of ranch humor for the CattleLink crowd. Think of it as farm jokes for people who have actually sat through a fertilizer price meeting and lived to tell about it.
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.
Progressive Farmer Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- DTN: Dehlinger named Progressive Farmer editor - DTN's announcement of the 2026 editorial transition.
- Progressive Farmer: A Change at the Top - Gregg Hillyer's farewell column on the 140-year masthead.
- Bhamwiki: The Progressive Farmer - Birmingham local history covering Polk, Poe and the Southern Ruralist merger.
- USDA ERS: Cattle and calf cash receipts - federal data on the livestock sector served by CattleLink.
- USDA NASS: 2022 Census of Agriculture release - the national farm census Progressive Farmer readers are measured by.
Progressive Farmer FAQ
When was Progressive Farmer founded?
Leonidas L. Polk founded The Progressive Farmer in 1886 in North Carolina. The magazine celebrated its 140th anniversary in January 2026.
Who owns Progressive Farmer magazine?
DTN owns the magazine and publishes it as DTN/Progressive Farmer; DTN acquired it in 2007.
Who is the editor of Progressive Farmer?
Katie Dehlinger became Editor in Chief with the January 2026 issue, succeeding Gregg Hillyer. She is the eighth chief editor and the first woman in the role.
Did Progressive Farmer start Southern Living?
Yes. The Progressive Farmer Company launched Southern Living in 1966, growing it out of the farm magazine's popular home and family pages.
From Polk's crusading paper to a DTN-powered national magazine, Progressive Farmer magazine has stayed relevant by changing format while keeping its focus on the farmer's bottom line. Its 140th year under a new editor looks like the start of another long run.