Looking Back: Grading Up Beef Cattle at Sni-A-Bar Farms

by Marcia Napier Grain Valley Historical Society

Apparently, William Rockhill Nelson was a lover of good livestock who believed that systematic breeding with well-chosen purebred sires would quickly improve common herds of cattle and eliminate economic waste.

In 1912, Mr. Nelson completed the purchase of 1,755 acres of land in Sni-A- Bar Township, Jackson County, MO. The tract comprised two farms, one devoted chiefly to the production of the purebred sires used in the work and the other to the operation of grading up the main herd.

The following year 200 “common red cows” –as he called them—were purchased at the Kansas City Stockyards. These animals, shipped there from Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska for slaughter, were the foundation female stock for the breeding operation.

In order to have cows that would breed, cows were from 4 to 5 years old, fair to good quality, judged from a market standpoint, of good size and showing evidence of Shorthorn breeding and also of being reasonably good milkers. A few had calves at side but most of the cows were with calf and dry. These calves provided a reference point for judging the first cross.

Those calves showing unmistakable evidences of dairy breeding and those showing Hereford or Angus characteristics were discarded because Shorthorn bulls were used in the demonstration and it seemed desirable to work with only one breed.

Because one of Mr. Nelson’s goals was to help the average farmer, the equipment and arrangement of the farm was typical of what the average farmer could provide and Nelson decided his stock should have no better feed or care than would be possible on any farm.

Mr. Nelson had a definite purpose and plan. He was 71 years old when he acquired Sni-A-Bar Farms, and he completed the selection of the foundation stock only a few months before his death on March 7, 1915. Under the conditions of his will, the breeding operations were to continue for 30 years from the time of his death.

Next week learn about the Nelson Trust, and the Board of Trustees.

Pictured at right: USDA Circular No. 14 dated September 1926, entitled “Grading Up Beef Cattle at Sni-A-Bar Farms”.

Photo credit: Grain Valley Historical Society.

The Grain Valley Historical Society Museum, located at 510 Main Street, is open Wednesdays from 10am—3pm and by appointment. Visit the Historical Society’s website, www.grainvalleyhistory.com, and follow the Society on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@grainvalleyhistory).