The Iowa Cow War of 1931 involved violent disputes over the testing of
cow
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...
s for
bovine tuberculosis
Bovines (subfamily Bovinae) comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including cattle, bison, African buffalo, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The evolutionary relationship betwee ...
. After distrustful farmers tried and failed to repeal the testing program, they gathered in numbers to block tests from taking place. The farmers believed that the test might infect cows with tuberculosis or make pregnant cows have spontaneous abortions. They also believed that the testing was unconstitutional. The owner of
Muscatine radio station KTNT,
Norman G. Baker, spread misinformation which resulted in more farmers protesting testing, sometimes causing violence. The Iowa Cow War came to a conclusion when 31
Iowa National Guard
The Iowa National Guard consists of the:
*Iowa Army National Guard and the
* Iowa Air National Guard
The Iowa National Guard headquarters is at Camp Dodge in Johnston, several miles north of the state capital Des Moines. The facility serves do ...
units were deployed to stop the protesting. Two farmers were arrested for their actions during the conflict.
Background
Bovine tuberculosis was an issue for Iowans prior to the eradication of the disease starting in 1929. In 1894, an Iowa veterinarian said that tuberculosis was the main issue that his office faced. People often did not understand the danger of tuberculosis in cows due to the long period of incubation and its effects. Many respected medical professionals thought that cows were unable to transmit the disease to people, including
Robert Koch
Heinrich Hermann Robert Koch ( , ; 11 December 1843 – 27 May 1910) was a German physician and microbiologist. As the discoverer of the specific causative agents of deadly infectious diseases including tuberculosis, cholera (though the bacteri ...
, who completed early research on tuberculosis.
The State of Iowa required the tests to reduce the frequency with which
dairy cattle
Dairy cattle (also called dairy cows) are cattle bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cattle generally are of the species '' Bos taurus''.
Historically, little distinction was ...
with tuberculosis would contaminate the milk supply and cause milk-drinking people to contract the disease.
The program was financed by a property tax levy of up to 3
mills
Mills is the plural form of mill, but may also refer to:
As a name
* Mills (surname), a common family name of English or Gaelic origin
* Mills (given name)
*Mills, a fictional British secret agent in a trilogy by writer Manning O'Brine
Places Uni ...
.
In 1929, the
Iowa State Legislature
The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of Rep ...
passed a law stating that all cows, whether used for dairy or meat, had to be tested for bovine tuberculosis. Iowa farmers, who did not trust the tests, were opposed to the law. The farmers believed that the test might infect cows with tuberculosis or make pregnant cows have spontaneous abortions. They also thought that the test was against the
United States Constitution, but this was dismissed by the
Iowa Supreme Court
The Iowa Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Iowa. The Court is composed of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices.
The Court holds its regular sessions in Des Moines in the Iowa Judicial Branch Building located at 1111 ...
in 1930.
Veterinarians, who were approved by the State of Iowa, injected an
antigen
In immunology, an antigen (Ag) is a molecule or molecular structure or any foreign particulate matter or a pollen grain that can bind to a specific antibody or T-cell receptor. The presence of antigens in the body may trigger an immune respons ...
under the base of the cows' tails. After 72 hours, the veterinarians would see if the cows had any reactions to the antigen, such as swelling. Cows that reacted to the antigen were slaughtered and the farmers were paid an
indemnity
In contract law, an indemnity is a contractual obligation of one party (the ''indemnitor'') to compensate the loss incurred by another party (the ''indemnitee'') due to the relevant acts of the indemnitor or any other party. The duty to indemni ...
. The farmers did not receive the market share of their cows after they were slaughtered with the slaughter value being subtracted from the
appraised value
An appraised value (United States) or mortgage valuation (Australia) pertains to the assessed value of real property in the opinion of a qualified appraiser or valuer. It is usually used as a pre-qualification & risk-based pricing factor related ...
.
Farmers asserted that the test lowered milk quality and the cows' release of milk.
Early protests
In relation to the testing,
Muscatine KTNT radio station owner
Norman G. Baker spread misinformation in southeastern Iowa about medical professionals, Iowa politicians, farming magazines, and Iowa universities. Baker's words caused farmers to rebel in Cedar County.
In February 1931, two years after the adoption of the testing law, 1,000 farmers traveled by train from
Tipton, Iowa
Tipton ( /ˈtɪptən/) is a city in Cedar County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,149 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Cedar County.
History
Tipton was platted within Center Township in 1840 and was named for Ge ...
, to the
Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines. On arrival, they demanded that the
Iowa Legislature
The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of Repr ...
make the tests optional. After the Legislature refused to do so, the farmers decided to act on their own.
On March 9, 1931, over 500 people protested south of Tipton at a farm owned by E. C. Mitchell, who previously worked with four other farmers to resist the testing of their cows. Iowa veterinarians and 20 nearby police officers were at farmer William C. Butterbrodt's farm to test his cows for tuberculosis, northeast of Tipton. Almost 1,000 protestors traveled to Butterbrodt's farm to block tests from being performed, although no acts of violence occurred.
Another meeting was held at the Iowa State Capitol on March 19, 1931, with more than 1,500 people attending. Iowa Governor
Dan Turner kept the mandatory testing in place. Veterinarian Peter Malcolm was forced off of E. C. Mitchell's farm in Cedar County on April 10, 1931, to review the tests of five cows. 75 protestors confronted Malcolm and several officials, resulting in Iowa agent Earl Gaughenbaugh telling the farmers to leave. After a cow was identified as having tuberculosis, Mitchell had two protestors throw Malcolm off the land. Assistant Attorney General Oral Swift was pushed against a barbed wire fence. Mitchell said that he only allowed the testing to lead to "lead them on".
Newspaper reporters were unable to write stories about the Mitchell farm incident due to protestors and ''The Des Moines Register and Tribune'' took photographs from the air that showed automobiles that were parked to prevent their cows from being tested. Malcolm's tests on Mitchell's farm were going to expire soon and Turner met with some protesters in
Iowa City. The National Guard was deployed to Cedar Rapids on the morning of Malcolm reviewing the test results, but they were sent home shortly after on the same day. The final step of testing succeeded without any issues and one bull had a reaction. The 15 farmers that met with Turner in Iowa City had an assembly at Butterbrodt's farm on April 14, 1931. Turner said that only the farmers' elected representative could change the testing law. Smaller conflicts continued to happen with veterinarians being forced from farms.
Cow War
The Cow War happened during the fall of 1931, with most of it taking place in
Cedar County, Iowa
Cedar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,505. Its county seat is Tipton. The county is named for the Cedar River, which runs through the county.
Cedar County is located between t ...
. On September 21, 1931, when state officials left the courthouse at noon, protestors followed them to Jacob W. Lenker's farm.
300 or 400 farmers went to Lenker's with crudely made weapons to attack 63 or 65 officers and two veterinarians. The farmers threw mud and rocks at the officers, while also swinging clubs and slashing the officers' tires.
The farmers also had pitchforks.
Tear gas
Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ...
was used against the farmers, but there was not much effect. Malcolm's tires were punctured, his gas line was slashed, and they put mud in his radiator.
The chief of the
Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, James Risdon, told Iowa Governor Dan Turner about the situation being "out of control".
The next day, Turner started
martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
and had 31
Iowa National Guard
The Iowa National Guard consists of the:
*Iowa Army National Guard and the
* Iowa Air National Guard
The Iowa National Guard headquarters is at Camp Dodge in Johnston, several miles north of the state capital Des Moines. The facility serves do ...
units travel to Tipton and their base was at the Tipton fairgrounds.
It cost over $1,000 to send in troops.
People heard yells of "Here comes the Army!" and "You farmers better run!" when the troops jumped from the rail cars.
Business owners were worried that farmers would boycott them for not wanting to participate.
Soldiers and veterinarians traveled around Cedar County to test cows for tuberculosis. Machine guns were placed facing country roads, sentries patrolled the area, and armed outposts were built. The farmers gave up for the most part due to the soldiers. 50 veterinarians, all working in pairs, gave the injection to 5,000 cattle per day for a week while being protected. A small amount of the tested cows were infected.
The veterinarians saw no cows on Lenker's farm due to him selling his 21 cattle to farmer Harry Duffy in
Muscatine County. The sale caused issues for Lenker since he was not allowed to interfere with the process or move his cattle.
The last of the soldiers left on November 25, 1931.
Lenker was charged for
contempt of court. Lenker was also charged for conspiracy along with farmer Paul Moore. They were sentenced to up to three-year terms in the
Fort Madison, Iowa
Fort Madison is a city and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States along with Keokuk. Of Iowa's 99 counties, Lee County is the only one with two county seats. The population was 10,270 at the time of the 2020 census. Located along the ...
, penitentiary. Lenker and Moore were paroled 40 days later.
References
{{reflist
1931 protests
History of Iowa
Tuberculosis
Riots and civil disorder in Iowa
1931 riots
History of agriculture in the United States
Bovine health
Agriculture in Iowa
1931 in the United States
1931 in Iowa
September 1931 events
Diseases and disorders in the United States
Political riots in the United States
Cedar County, Iowa