October 1, 2011, marked the 10-year anniversary of our presence in Afghanistan. The history of our presence, both military and civilian, will be written for decades to come.

I don’t know how old I was when I realized that Santa Claus wasn’t real. A story about a fat man slipping through chimneys with toys has a lot of holes in it. If it was true, we would be dealing with a very capable man in being able to do all that he was reported to – and surely, this same man could have done our morning chores for us so we could have stayed in the house and opened presents.

Last Christmas season, I left readers with the following challenge: “I hope this Christmas season is extraordinary for you and your loved ones. Don’t let Christmas Eve pass without looking for a chance to make it so for someone else.”

reflect the quality content that Progressive Dairyman provides to its readers, both on www.progressivedairy.com and in print. Many of those Top 25 articles were online-exclusive and had a video component not available in our print publication. Progressive Dairyman wanted to recognize some of the cutting-edge topics and ideas presented in the print magazine over the past year. Each editor selected 8-10 articles they thought that Progressive Dairyman readers should have read. Out of those selections, here were the winners (in order that they appeared in the publication): Scroll down or to see comments from each editor about their selections. Click an article title to open that article in a new window.

Among the Christmas lights, the tinsel, baking and shopping, our family goes caroling to the seniors in our community.

A chill in the air means the holiday season is fast-approaching, beginning with Thanksgiving. It’s a time to give thanks for our families, friends, health and prosperity. We should also be thankful for a food system that provides a safe, affordable and abundant food supply. Our Thanksgiving meal, whether the main course is turkey or tofurkey, is made possible by the dedicated people throughout the entire food chain – farmers, processors, grocers, and others – each of whom works hard to make it possible. Since 1970, turkey consumption in the United States has increased by 102 percent. The ability of U.S. farmers to raise more birds using less land, water, and feed provides that turkey at Thanksgiving and year-round. In fact, from 1960 to 2010, the land required to produce all the meat, milk and eggs for every person in the U.S. declined by two thirds.

This Thanksgiving season, people throughout the food system will be using social media to show their thanks for food and raise awareness of agriculture through the AgChat Foundation’s #foodthanks campaign. Last year more than 800 people participated in the campaign by blogging, adding the #foodthanks twibbon to their avatar photo, and sharing more than 2,000 Twitter posts.

I’ve been an editor with Progressive Dairyman magazine for two years now. While most of my work has been online, managing the content on our website and in our Extra e-newsletter, I have contributed several articles to the print publication. This, however, is my first editorial piece. Ever.