Progressive Farmer Thanks Several Retiring Teammates for Their Years of Service

Becky Granzow, Dan Miller, Pam Passen, Elaine Shein and Pam Smith have given more than a century of combined service to Progressive Farmer. Now, all five are beginning well-earned retirements.

They each served our readers in different ways -- some with familiar bylines, others through work readers rarely saw. Together, their talent, dedication and commitment made this magazine better.

For that, we're incredibly grateful. We wish them the very best in whatever comes next and thank them for the lasting mark they've left on Progressive Farmer.

-- Becky Granzow's title may have been advertising support manager, but her real job was being the glue that held Progressive Farmer together. For over four decades, she often kept the editorial, financial and advertising sides of the business working on the same page (which is quite a feat!), while acting as the de facto office manager and coordinating the magazine's participation in ag-industry trade shows. From large projects (like the Idea Houses) to small (organizing virtual events during the pandemic), she took care of business and always greeted everyone with a smile and a peppy attitude.

-- Dan Miller climbs mountains. Literally, he's summited several 14ers, and figuratively, his work has received the industry's highest honors during his 38-year tenure at Progressive Farmer. In the early days, Miller expanded the Southern-rooted magazine's coverage to the Corn Belt and has reported on the 1980s farm crisis, presidential campaigns, the 1993 Midwest floods, multiple farm bills, the introduction of genetically engineered crops, conservation, land, machinery and technology. He's managed major editorial initiatives, including the Idea House program and America's Best Young Farmers and Ranchers franchise, which will be entering its 17th year in January. He's excited about the diverse group of recipients he will profile in that edition. Although he is officially retired, we look forward to supplying Miller with projects, especially features on farm shops, in the future.

-- Pam Passen dedicated her entire career to Progressive Farmer, but as the publication's business analyst, she's far more familiar with advertisers than readers. That's because she worked closely with the magazine's advertising operation, handling the details that helped turn advertising commitments into the pages readers saw each month. Her tireless, careful and cheerful work behind the scenes helped keep Progressive Farmer running smoothly issue after issue.

-- Raised on the Canadian Prairies, Elaine Shein cares passionately about agriculture and journalism, having led several Canadian and U.S. publications before turning her editing skills loose on the pages of dtnpf.com and Progressive Farmer. When she wasn't hunting down grammatical errors, she was coaching writers and coordinating special projects, including special issues of the magazine. The October 2025 "Finding Financing for Farming" special issue was a finalist for several Neal Awards, considered the pinnacle of business-to-business journalism and won the Best Subject-Related Package.

-- Pam Smith's first assignment as a young Illinois Prairie Farmer reporter was writing about how to walk soybeans -- a task editors later admitted they'd given her as a joke. Smith came back with a story anyway, complete with a memorable quote from University of Illinois weed scientist Marshal McGlamery: "If all else fails, use the Santa Claus treatment. Hoe, hoe, hoe." That assignment foreshadowed a 49-year career built on curiosity, practical information and lasting relationships. Smith spent six years at Illinois Prairie Farmer and 29 at Farm Journal before joining Progressive Farmer and DTN in 2012, where she became a familiar and trusted voice on crops. "My first inclination was to be a service journalist, to help people," Smith says. And, while she's stepping back, Smith isn't quite ready to call it retirement. You'll continue to see her byline in Progressive Farmer and on dtnpf.com as she freelances her way through the world.

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-- Joel Reichenberger and Barry Falkner contributed to this article.

-- You may email Katie at katie.dehlinger@dtn.com, or follow Katie on social platform X @KatieD_DTN

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