When Congress first established the Agricultural Experiment Station as part of a national network, the expectation was that research discoveries would be shared with the public. Since the beginning, researchers published annual reports and bulletins with specific information on particular crops or industries.
But in 1953, Oregon had a better idea. Station director Earl Price asked OSU alum Bob Mason to produce its annual report in a more popular, readable style as a quarterly magazine written for the general public.
In the first issue of Oregon’s Agricultural Progress in the fall of 1953, Mason covered broodiness in chickens, feeding cattle over winter, and how to freeze chocolate cake (baked and unbaked). Each new issue of the magazine conveyed the latest findings of professors hired to teach OSU students, conduct research, and work with Extension agents around the state. Along the way, Oregon’s Agricultural Progress has become one of the most highly awarded research magazines in the nation.
