Long before my time at Progressive Publishing, our founder, Leon Leavitt, built and grew our most well-known publication, Progressive Dairy, based on quality craftsmanship.
What began in 1987 as an eight-page flyer for clients of North West Labs Inc. quickly expanded in both size and reach – growing in circulation across 10 Western states within just three years.
Leavitt bought out his partners and moved operations to his home in Jerome, turning the publication into a true family endeavor.
Since then, Progressive Publishing has grown in influence, adding loyal readers across the U.S. and Canada with the invention of additional titles such as Progressive Dairy – Canada, Progressive Dairy – en français, Progressive Cattle, Progressive Cattle – Canada, Progressive Forage and of course, Ag Proud – Idaho.
We might still be considered a “new kid on the block” with just 30 years of company history, but the company competes with longer-standing publications and has more than 100,000 subscribers across the U.S. and Canada.
I chuckle to think that our founder started this journey with an old typewriter. Technology advances so quickly. I once read that it took 2.4 million years for our ancestors to control fire and use it for cooking – but only 66 years to go from the first flight to landing on the moon. Wow!
Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the latest advancements that truly has me in awe. Thanks to this technology, I can ask it what I can cook if I have some about-to-expire sour cream and some sprouting potatoes I need to use. It can help me plan my garden, pairing similar water needs and taking into consideration shade and sun needs. I can take a picture of my eggs and sausage in the morning, and it can tell me how many calories and protein I’m consuming. It truly is remarkable.
But, as with any technology, there are concerns. For a while now, we at Progressive Publishing have been experimenting with the technology and trying to decide how it fits into our work. In some ways, it can make our jobs easier, but at what cost?
The danger is that AI is using us more than we are using it. It is literally just recalling info from info it has absorbed from something else. For those reasons, we are choosing to use it sparingly. If you want the purest form of a message, you need to go to the original source – the place AI is learning from.
So with the foundation that our founder began years ago, we will continue to evolve and grow and incorporate new tools, but never at the cost of our integrity or the human talent of the individuals who craft this magazine for you each month. You may start to see references in the publication where we note when AI has been used by a contributor. Contributors are self-reporting if they used AI in any way to craft their articles. We aim to be transparent when AI is used. Our stance is that AI cannot replace the experiences, expertise, talent and thought-provoking skills of our writers and editors.
Thanks for being one of our many loyal readers.
