Leak recently completed her junior year of schooling at Utah State University (USU), where she is pursuing dual majors in agricultural communications and journalism with an emphasis in social media. She serves as an ambassador for USU’s College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, assisting in recruiting potential students.
No stranger to the dairy industry, Leak grew up at Whey-Mat Holsteins, a 130-cow dairy in Cornish, Utah. The family-owned and operated dairy farms 500 acres and exhibits their registered Holsteins on the local, state and national levels. Growing up, Leak was responsible for calf care and management as well as assisting with mating decisions and care of the show string at Whey-Mat – which she continues doing today.
“I grew up reading Progressive Dairy,” Leak says. “So, the opportunity to work for the magazine and combine my passions – writing and the dairy industry – is kind of surreal.”
Prior to working for Progressive Publishing, Leak was a marketing and communications intern at USU’s College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, where she created, curated and managed content for the college’s social media pages, wrote press releases, reported on research happening within the college and assisted in marketing efforts.
Leak has been highly involved in the dairy industry from a young age, participating in many 4-H, FFA and Holstein Association events and holding various leadership positions over the years. Leak’s involvement in these programs and her passion for the dairy industry led her to pursue a career in agricultural communication, with the hope of bridging the gap between consumers and producers.
“I’m beyond excited to be working with Progressive Publishing this summer,” Leak says. “I’m grateful for the staff’s warm welcome and for the opportunity to contribute and learn here at Progressive.”
“We’re grateful to have Madison on board,” says Progressive Dairy Editor-in-Chief Walt Cooley. “She brings a great deal of dairy knowledge and passion for the industry with her to this internship, and we look forward to sharing her work with our readers.” 
