Every year, the October 25, 2016, issue of Hoard’s Dairyman features highlights from the recently concluded World Dairy Expo. While the great achievements of many people, teams, and cows sprawl across the pages in written form, as the saying goes, a picture contains a thousand words. This year’s cover of the October 25 issue doesn’t just capture one emotional moment at World Dairy Expo — it shares seven.
Our art director, Ryan Ebert, proposed this idea a year ago. He wanted to do something special for the 50th anniversary of World Dairy Expo. He takes thousands of photos in the showring each year, including the Grand Champions of every breed. “We’ve featured one Grand Champion on the cover before, but never all of them,” said Ebert.
This year, each breed champion gets its chance to grace the cover of Hoard’s Dairyman. After capturing these memorable moments, the Hoard’s Dairyman staff worked with our printer, Royle Printing, to make the idea become a reality.
Normally, once printed, the same cover is dropped down on to every issue of the magazine. This time around, after each cover was printed separately in a split run, all seven were collated, or shuffled together like a deck of cards. The binding machine then placed one of the seven covers on to each issue. Watch the process in the video below.
A different advertisement is also featured on each of the seven versions of the magazine. The issues will be randomly distributed across the country and around the world. Talk with your family, friends and neighbors to see which cover they received. Maybe you can trade for your favorite breed!
A limited number of issues are available for purchase if you would like a specific cover or want to own the entire set. Cost is $8 per issue, which includes tax and shipping. An entire set of reprints, including all seven covers, is available for $35 including tax and shipping. Rates will vary for international orders. Call (920) 563-5551 to place your order.
If you haven’t seen them all yet, take a look at the seven covers. Which one is your favorite? Place your vote here, and we’ll share the results on social media next week.
The author is an associate editor and covers animal health, dairy housing and equipment, and nutrient management. She grew up on a dairy farm near Plymouth, Wis., and previously served as a University of Wisconsin agricultural extension agent. She received a master’s degree from North Carolina State University and a bachelor’s from University of Wisconsin-Madison.
