#3 in January

Joel Hastings: With Many Thanks!

This issue of DairyBusiness Digital Magazine marks the conclusion of my career as an active and regular content provider for DairyBusiness News.

For more than 53 years it’s been my pleasure and privilege to work with dairymen, purebred breeders, their organizations and their suppliers as a reporter, editor, marketer, publisher and company president, first at Holstein-Friesian World and more recently at DairyBusiness.

It is important for me to acknowledge with appreciation the hard work, dedication and friendship of colleagues and employees, many of whom are no longer with us. I especially appreciate the accomplishments and the mentorship of the late Robert M. McKown, David L. Morrow, Stanley E. Bird and James F. Hill who contributed so much to the success of our publications over many years.

Longtime employee and friend Carol Moyer well deserves mention here, as well. After a career that spanned great changes in both the dairy industry and publishing technology, she retired with the affection of both her colleagues and customers. Happily, she remains an integral part of the community in Sandy Creek, N.Y. where our company was headquartered for many years.

Our company was a family business for much its history, beginning with both of my late grandfathers, E. M. Hastings, a founding partner of the World in 1901 and M. S. Prescott, it’s 60-year editor whose career was completed at his passing in 1976. They were followed by their sons… my uncle, W. T. “Ted” Prescott and my father, R. H. “Bob” Hastings. It was they who allowed this inexperienced college graduate to join the company.

At this point I also gratefully extend my thanks to two more who had immeasurable influence. The late Charles Mickelsen was the longtime dairy farm manager at Utah State. He allowed me to work for a summer with the Registered Holstein herd, live with his family and travel with him as he judged nearly every county fair in Utah. After that there was no turning back. Another I thank is industry icon Horace Backus, still with us at 94, who set an example loyally and enthusiastically serving dairymen while providing oft needed advice and counsel. I’m honored to call him a great friend.

Fast forward to more recent times and I want to thank the current owners of DairyBusiness News, David and Julie Parker who headquarter in Indianapolis. They first began work with the company as consultants for our internet  businesses. Then developing our trademark “Future of Dairy” tagline, they managed the conversion to a completely digital media. I’m grateful for their fresh ideas and their confidence in me as we moved into video recordings and the DairyVoice podcast. I make no claims to the quality of my work, but I found it exciting… maybe not so bad for the editor who began his career with manual typewriters, lead type and cut and paste layouts in the company printing plant.

Moving into 2022, I’m pleased that the Parkers wish me to stay connected, working on occasional projects especially with our valued partner National DHIA. And they are asking me to retain my longtime email address jhastings@dairybusiness.com. I’ll also continue to work with the publisher of a digital newsletter, covering the amazing complexity of water organizations here in California.

We send many thanks to all, along with our best wishes for a healthy and enjoyable New Year.

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A response to Joel Hastings from DairyBusiness Managing Partner / CFO Julie Parker:

While assembling the January 3, 2022 edition of DairyBusiness Magazine, I read through the lead article by Joel Hastings announcing the change to his long held position of Editor and Publisher. Working closely with Joel for many years in addition to being good friends, this announcement was no surprise. However, what struck me was the three hashtags at the end of the text. In the world of journalism, those three hashtags signify the end. That just didn’t sit well with me. I looked at those little marks on my screen for several minutes feeling nostalgic and bordering on emotional. The thought that inspired me was “Nope….Not the end!”

Joel P. Hastings is our friend and long- time colleague. He is also one of the most well- known persons in this arena. His acquaintances, relationships, insight and amazing comprehension of the inner workings of all things dairy have been an invaluable asset to everyone in the industry and certainly to us here at DairyBusiness News. In his article, Joel extended thanks and referred to Horace Backus as an “industry icon”; it is our belief that Joel is an icon in his own right. Our hope is that he will continue to be our mentor, become our own “Horace” and associate with us for many years to come.

To that end, it is my distinct honor and pleasure to announce a new professional title for Joel P. Hastings. Effective immediately, Joel is our “Editor Emeritus” with all rank and privilege associated therein. Let’s hold off on those hashtags shall we?

Happy New Year, Joel. Indeed, a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year to us all!

~ Julie