BSCBA - USA 1910-1919
"Swiss Migrate Throughout the US"
Roger's Note: The teen years (1910-1919) saw many changes as new
programs were developed and Brown Swiss cattle continued to
migrate west throughout the US. On a national level, the US was coping
with World War I, which no doubt affected every US citizen and
Brown Swiss breeder in some way.
During these years, Brown Swiss made their way into many states.
There were 4 years during this period, 1914, 1919, 1920, & 1926,
where there were more transfers recorded than registrations.
Registrations climbed steadily with 1,820 animals registered in 1919,
including 1055 females (1st year over 1,000) and 765 bulls. There
were 1854 transfers that year.
The Beginning of a New Era
The year 1911 marked the beginning of a new era in the Association
which had long-ranging effects. Three Association meetings were
held that year. The first was January 15, 1911, in Chicago. At this
meeting, officers were elected with the most significant being the
election of Ira Inman of Beloit, Wisconsin, as Secretary-Treasurer.
Ira held this position for the next 31 years. A significant result of
that election was the later acquisition of a building which became
the national Brown Swiss office in Beloit, Wisconsin.
The second meeting was held at the Hotel Astor in New York City on
May 10, 1911. Action at this meeting also provided the basis for one
of the most important programs of the Association. The Registry of
Production was initiated with Frank Freemeyer of Walhalla Farms
being elected secretary of this program.
Finally, on November 1, 1911, the Association regular annual meeting
was held during the National Dairy Show in Chicago. There it
was decided to advertise in several national magazines, to provide
production and show awards, and set up a scale of points for the
Swiss cow (a precursor to the classification program).
The 1912 minutes include a paragraph worth repeating. It followed
the report on the progress of the Registry of Production. “The
Registry of Production will prove to the dairy world and public in
general what the breeders of Brown Swiss cattle have known for a
long time: That we have the dairy cow par excellence. Now they are
destined to occupy a place in the very front rank for profitable dairy
production.”
Challenges
As indicated earlier, record of the first national shows occurred in
1907. In 1914 at the National Dairy Show in Chicago, all animals
were quarantined due to the Foot & Mouth epidemic. A few animals
had to be destroyed while others remained quarantined for several
months. Then in 1915, due to World War I, no show was held.
One of the premier herds of that time was E. M. Barton’s Sedgeley
Farm of Hillsdale, Illinois. This herd was severely affected by the
Foot & Mouth outbreak. A total of 30 head were in quarantine at
the National Dairy Show in Chicago in early November. On
December 8, 1914, tragedy struck as 35 head came down with Foot
& Mouth in 2 to 3 hours. By December 10, all 233 animals had the
disease. On December 14, 1914, they were buried in a pit 100 X 18
X 8 feet. For more details, see the Bjork Family ad in the 1980
Centennial Edition of the Brown Swiss Bulletin on Page 325.