Q&A with Bonnie Cooper

Q WITH BONNIE COOPER

A&

BY ANDREA EMOND

CLASSY, SINCERE AND FULL OF INTEGRITY – ALL TERMS THAT DESCRIBE LONGSTANDING HOLSTEIN JOURNAL EDITOR BONNIE COOPER. BONNIE HAS ENTERTAINED READERS WITH HER ENGAGING STYLE AND DEEP APPRECIATION FOR COW FAMILIES AND THEIR BREEDERS FOR OVER FOUR DECADES. WHEN THE JOURNAL PUBLISHED ITS FINAL EDITION LAST MONTH, BONNIE’S OFFICIAL DUTIES AS ITS EDITOR CAME TO AN END. BUT AS YOU’LL READ BELOW, HER WORK IS FAR FROM FINISHED.

How did you get started at the Journal?

I grew up on a registered Holstein farm near Madison, Wisconsin, and later went to study at the University of Wisconsin to get my degree in Ag Journalism. When I was getting ready to graduate, I was looking for a job. I contacted the Holstein World, but they weren’t hiring at the time. They told me about a gentleman who was planning to retire from the Canadian breed magazine. I mailed in an application to Hugh Colson, the Editor of Holstein Journal. A few weeks later, on the same day I was leaving for a trip to tour Canadian farms through the University of Wisconsin, I got a letter inviting me up for an interview. I had never even been to Canada before that! I flew up a few weeks after my initial trip for an interview and was offered the job of Associate Editor.

I maybe knew two or three Canadians at that point and had no family here. It was scary! Initially I thought I was only going to stay a few years, but I plainly remember, sitting on an airplane five years in, coming back to Toronto after visiting family in Wisconsin and thinking, ‘I’m not going back.’

Tell me about your first assignment?

Back then, we used to write a lot of stories on production achievements and that’s the first thing I remember working on. We would cover the big producers, the top lifetime production animals, and Holstein Canada would supply us with the lists. My first show

was the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, two weeks after I started. I think Peter English or Bruce Murchison came with me to show me the ropes and introduce me to people. Since we were the official publication of Holstein Canada at the time – and up until 1990 – we used to be the only media invited in to cover their board and committee meetings. That really got me interested in the industry and its politics.

From there, it expanded into attending and writing about sales, working on the All-Canadian contest, attending industry meetings, and going out to do farm visits. We did a lot of county herd stories back then, too. You’d go into a county and do four or five visits in a day. You’d be at each farm for an hour or an hour and a half, come back to the office and write the thing. Man, how did we do that?!

Now, you go in and spend two to three hours at each farm!

How have things changed since those early days?

Before tape recorders, you’d visit a farmer, take manual notes, then come back to the office and type up the story on your typewriter.

Technology in publishing has changed so much! When I came on in 1973, the Journal was in the process of switching from letterpress to offset printing. In 1987 we moved to desktop publishing and installed a Macintosh computer system to bring all our typesetting and layout functions in-house.

Over the years, my role has evolved to being strictly editorial. In 1975, Hugh Colson named me as the Editor. Selling ads was never my thing; I couldn’t sell a candy bar! In more recent years, I’ve gone back to proofreading ads for the guys.

The Holstein Journal has always been privately owned and managed. Back in 1938 when the Journal first started, it was the official publication of Holstein Canada. It remained so until March of 1990. Peter English, the Journal’s present owner and publisher who has been with the magazine since 1967, acquired sole ownership of the Journal in 1991. We’ve only had two editors in the magazine’s 81year run.

What is it that’s kept you there all these years?

I’ve worked with some great people and I enjoy what I do. I love going to shows, love going out to do herd visits and love following the politics of it.

One of my fondest memories goes back to 1984 when we did a special edition of the Journal called Century of Achievement, in honour of Holstein Canada’s 100th anniversary. When I came to Canada, I didn’t know anything about Canadian Holsteins. When I did Century of Achievement, I read all the back issues of the Journal and went through a lot of Annual Meeting Reports. It gave me a really good feel for Canadian Holsteins. It gave me such an appreciation for the history, the people, and how they had got there. It was the best education I could have ever had! I have great respect for Canadian Holstein breeders. I love them, love their passion and dedication. It’s been a great experience to work with them and be able to share their stories.

I’ve also worked with great owners and staff. The Journal has been a team effort; I didn’t do it alone. I wrote the editorial but I didn’t always have the ideas. We worked together to put out a first-class magazine. We have a big Journal family made up of a variety of people who have worked for us. They’re all part of our story.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced over the years?

When I started, I was among the first females that were getting jobs in an industry that had previously been held by men. I started at the Journal in 1973, the same year that Patty Jones started in the photography business.

Other people talk about facing obstacles as females in a male-dominated industry. But that’s one thing I’ve never found in the Ag business. And I think that’s

because in farm families, the wife is so vitally involved, especially today. Back in the 1970s, the wife was there, but she didn’t always sit in on the interview. Nowadays, it’s all about family farms – women are so involved!

I’ve always felt so welcomed. There were never any prejudices and I never got any backlash because I was a woman. I was always very well-accepted.

In my second year of Ag Journalism at University, I wanted to switch to Dairy Science. When I talked to the Dairy Science Department Chairman, he discouraged me and wanted me to go over to the Home Economics Department instead. When I was young, it wasn’t really acceptable for girls to go back to the family farm. The only way I could stay in Agriculture was to write about it. So I did what other girls my age did: I found other ways to stay involved.

You’ve done countless breeder interviews over the years. How did you prepare for them?

I’d do as much research as I could. I’d pull old ads, bring up Master Breeder stories, and of course, back then this was all manual. We did all these stories on top production cows and we always kept all those sheets. I’d look through the sheets and find out if the breeder owned one of those top cows. After that research, I’d draw up a set of questions. I always had a set group of questions that I’d expand on, depending on who the person was. When computers came along, I could go to Holstein Canada to pull up pedigrees and later I was able to Google their name or check their Facebook page and find out as much as I could. I would also read previous stories written on the family to gain as much background as possible.

“People have been so open with me, sharing their lives, stories and opinions. I’ve met some wonderful, wonderful people.”

- BONNIE COOPER

1. Bonnie in the Holstein Journal office during her first year on the job in 1973

2. Bonnie is famous for her baking. She’s seen here, sharing it at the Royal with former Eastern Field Rep, Kris MacLeod, and TD Classic Volunteer, Brian Slaughter.

3. At the 1987 West-Central Ontario Championship Show in Erin, Bonnie presented the Holstein Journal banners for Premier Breeder and Exhibitor to Walkerbrae Holsteins (l to r) Brent, Scott and Jim Walker, and Judge Glen McNeil.

Are there any particular interviews that really stand out?

I’ve done so many. And I’ve done them over so many years. They were all great in their own ways. People have been so open with me, sharing their lives, stories and opinions. I’ve met some wonderful, wonderful people. They’ve shared meals with me, cups of coffee, some of them have even said to me at the end of the interview, ‘jump in the truck, I’d like to show you around the place.’ Whether it’s been the big name breeders to those just getting started, I’ve enjoyed them all.

A lot of us were saddened to hear the news of the Journal closing. How are you feeling? Did you know changes were coming?

I kind of knew that it was heading that way. I’ve known since last July so I’ve had some time to get my head around it. It’s still sad to see it end. The magazine has a great history and legacy.

When the Journal first started, George Clemons commented that it should ‘reflect the pulse of the industry.’ And I think that’s what we’ve tried to do - reflect what’s happening. We didn’t try to do a lot of other things. Our goal was to provide the news as accurately as we could, with a lot of integrity. That was always very important. Attention to detail and accuracy was always a mandate around here and I think we’ve accomplished that. Fake news? That doesn’t happen here! We let the facts speak for themselves.

Here’s to WEARING OUT YOUR WORK GLOVES

We’re proud to finance the people, the dreams, and the future of Canadian agriculture.

Here’s to Canadian agriculture. Here’s to you. fcc.ca

What do you think is in store for print media relating to the dairy industry?

We’re going to see fewer publications; we have to. We’re already seeing that. And more will be digital. The only thing I fear is when things are on the computer, they’re gone so quickly. I am afraid that when you lose some of that print material, you’ll lose some of that history, too. And maybe some of the personal side of the business.

What will your life look like post-Journal?

I’m a dual citizen and although my family would love to have me come back, Canada is going to be my home. It has been for most of my life! I love the people; they’ve become my family.

I hope to stay involved in the dairy cattle business and perhaps do some freelance work. I’d like to get more involved in some of the Ag organizations. I want the Holstein industry to still be part of my life. I’ve worked so much, you don’t think much beyond that. I work a lot; twelve-hour days are pretty common for me. In the fall, there’s a lot of weekend work. I don’t have children, I was never married, and as a friend recently remarked to Peter and me, the Journal has been our life, our child. That’s why it’s going to be hard to walk away from it. Not having families, we could commit so much time to it. We did it because we loved it. If you love something, you do it.

1. One of the first shows Bonnie covered was the 1973 Atlantic Winter Fair in Halifax, N.S., where she is seen, from left, with Judge Orton Eby, and showmen Peter Dickie and Walter Smith.

2. Bonnie in her Journal office in 2004