Meridale Farms
Above: This century-old postcard, reproduced from a photograph taken about 1910, depicts historic Meridale Farms from the east. The main barn, built in 1889, stands at the far left. The second creamery, started in 1905, is at the lower right. State Route 28 runs out of sight on the far side of the buildings.
Below: Nearly four decades later, this color view of Meridale Farms from the south was made about 1948.
The following article on Meridale Farms is reproduced by permission of Decker Advertising, Inc., publisher of The County Shopper, Catskill Country and the Delaware County Community Directory. The author, Tara Collins, is active in a community effort to preserve Meredith’s most notable landmark and encourage agricultural preservation, economic development and open parkland. See Preserving Meridale Farmsin the News section.
For a photo gallery on the history of Meridale Farms, see http://picasaweb.google.com/meridalefarms/MeredithAll photographs courtesy of Willy Jurjens.
MERIDALE FARMS, The End of a Dynasty
By Tara Collins
Like a fairy-tale, a self-made millionaire parlayed his advertising riches into a hobby, passion fueling its transformation into a million-dollar cattle business. The Executive-turned-Breeder and the world’s second largest herd of cattle become a mark of excellence for breeding and product output. The philanthropist and surviving family members leave a lasting legacy throughout the community. The cattle business infused a community with jobs, side business, tourism and long-term residents.
For nearly a century, Meridale Farms served its community, consumers and worldwide patrons with quality milk products and cows. The farm and business of Francis Wayland Ayer survived the Depression and two World Wars. In its heyday, Meridale Farms spanned over 2500 acres, housed 700 head of cattle and assorted farm livestock, and employed more than 60 men. And although the property held over 25 buildings, the Farms never indulged in fancy barns and buildings as the Farms was a business and run as one. And it was the business at hand that placed Meridale Farms, Delaware County and dairy farming on the map and in the record books.
FOREVER FARMLAND
Originally part of the Franklin Patent, the area occupied by Meridale Farms was always rich in agriculture, views and countryside beauty. The area’s bucolic setting drew early settlers and pioneers through the region during our nation’s westward expansion. Much of Meredith’s early history has been lost to fires over the years, so much of what remains comes from the collected papers of Judge Samuel Law and sawmill founder, David Josiah Hanford. Of course, folklore through storytelling survives from one generation to the next, enlivening those yellowed pages with old tales of life on the farm.
Meridale Farms’ history as an actual farm predates F. W. Ayer’s purchase in 1888 by about a century. Samuel Law purchased Center Farm in 1799 in conjunction with Samuel Meredith and George Clymer, two proprietors of the Franklin Patent. Together they developed a model farm “for the express purpose of giving Note to the Settlement, inviting in Settlers and raising the price of the lands.” Center Farm spanned 573 acres bordering the southerly side of the Turnpike at Meredith Square. Nearly all of these 573 acres eventually became part of Meridale Farms.
Law spared no expense in developing Center Farm, as illustrated by the mansion he built in 1806, which stood diagonally across Turnpike Road from the Meredith Baptist Church. Center Farm, like Meridale Farms, had multiple barns and houses (13 in all by 1816). When Center Farm was offered for sale in 1807, Law advertised it as “an improved farm with elegant buildings capable, in its present state, of affording feed and forage for one to two hundred head of cattle...”
Law was not just a farmer on a grand scale for his time. As a lawyer and land agent for the Franklin Patent, he was the most influential person in Meredith until his death in 1845. From his journals, we know that he was instrumental in getting the town of Meredith formed in 1800, in laying out and building roads, and in getting the Susquehanna Turnpike routed through Meredith. This roadway would continue to facilitate the arrival of visitors, immigrants, vendors and settlers throughout the Western Catskills.
BEHIND THE BUTTER
Similarly, a self-made man from Philadelphia propelled the town of Meredith into the 20th century. Advertising tycoon F. W. Ayer, smitten by summer visits to his pastor uncle’s home in Meredith Square, foresaw the value in this Delaware County hamlet. The serene country setting enchanted Ayer’s wife, Rhandena, who bid him to find the proper place for a chicken coop in March, 1888. Ayer, with his advertising partner Henry Nelson McKinney and a few other investors, transformed Meridale Farms from a summer hobby into the dairy industry’s standard of excellence in selective breeding and butter production.
A consummate innovator, Ayer brought a series of “firsts” to the fledgling advertising industry. He formed N. W. Ayer & Son in 1869, naming his company as if his father was involved to lend credibility to himself, because he was a young man starting out in business. His parents were actually modest school teachers living in Massachusetts. During his 50-plus years in advertising, he started the first full-service advertising agency, providing ad sales, copywriting and design, all under one roof; introduced the open contract, which guaranteed clients the lowest possible negotiated rates; and a 15 percent commission was later added and the industry standard of “O.C. + 15” was born. In 1919, his advertising company celebrated its 50th anniversary where ex-president Taft paid a glowing compliment: “We are honoring a man who has made advertising a science, and who has robbed it of many evil tendencies, and who has the right to be proud of the record he has made.” And while Ayer excelled in advertising, his love for cattle breeding spurred “firsts” in a total different arena.
BREEDING BUTTER BABIES
The importance of Meridale Farms in the early 20th century was three-fold. Ayer and his partners revolutionized dairy cattle breeding by setting industry standards for butter and milk production. Ayer developed an award-winning cattle heritage worthy of wintering Catskills conditions – robust, sturdy and productive. Seeing that the future of America resided in the most efficient production at the lowest cost, Ayer knew the key to milk and butter product success was not in the size of the herd but in its total output. “The dairy question of the day,” he said in 1890, “is how to secure the most butter at the least cost. Our experience proves to us that the Jersey is the answer to the problem. We breed for large size, vigorous constitution, perfection of form, richness of quality, large milk production and above all, good butter and plenty of it.”
With these guidelines, he identified those females, or dams, yielding the greatest output (both milk and fat) and started breeding them with the best bull stock in the country. Originally, Ayer determined the Jersey to be the pre-eminent dairy cow, as the Isle of Jersey’s claim-to-fame was their superb butter production. He bought his first Jerseys in December, 1888, and though not what he was originally looking for, he began his quest for the perfect producer on his 30-acre starter farm. Ayer later paid $50,000 for an entire herd from Baron Walter von Richthofen, a wealthy cattle rancher (and uncle of the Red Baron, the famed World War I flying ace) in Denver, Colorado. The 103 head of cattle, primarily St. Lambert’s Jersey, included show-stopper Ida of St. Lambert’s Bull and the cow of choice, Matilda 4th, who logged an official test of nearly 22 pounds of butter in seven days.
The creamery, where milk was separated and processed into butter, was so successful in the late 19th century, it overshadowed the business of breeding. To focus on producing a quality butter product, Ayer decided to cull the herd, which had grown to more than 200. In 1899, Meridale Farms sold off all of its pure-bred Jerseys at auction, 184 total. Ayer kept a core group of producers to re-establish the herd., but in 1907 he took a new twist and decided to realign the breed with fresh blood.
“No better family of Jerseys was ever bred than the St. Lambert’s,” Ayer said, “but they were ruined by their friends who were so blind in the favoritism that they refused to seek improvement and continued to inbreed even after the signs of deterioration were plain.” On a trip to an auction with farm superintendent Thomas M. Ware, Ayer purchased the Imported Jap 75265 (from the Isle of Jersey) for a song, when the prize-winning bull apparently made quite a scene at auction, frightening off potential bidders.
The bull turned out to be a pivotal sire for the herd, as he produced five daughters that later produced over 1000 pounds of butter each. The Jap revolutionized the herd, and the breed overall. His prodigy included two Medal of Merit daughters, 49 Register of Merit daughters and 11 sons to carry on the family gift of test. By 1908, Meridale Farms had expanded to 300 head of cattle, organized under three names: St. Lambert’s, Owl-Interest and Sayda.
Over the next 15 years, Ayer transitioned his herd of primarily St. Lambert’s cattle breed – the most prevalent dairy producers at the time – into a cross-bred, four-legged dairy machine that pumped out milk and butter with a vengeance. One newspaper report noted in the early 1900s that Meridale Farms was producing between 1,300 and 1,400 pound pints of butter a day. One gal, Dairylike Tete-a-Tete produced 12,006 pounds of milk, 633 pounds fat in 325 days. With the finest bull stock at hand, Ayer hybridized the herd into additional breed lines such as Fontaine-Interest, Jap and Dairylike. In a short time, Ayer amassed the second largest registered Jersey cattle herd in the world.
As Ayer’s hobby transformed into a business, it demanded more time away from his advertising business. But that didn’t keep the staff from proper record keeping and observation. The American Jersey Cattle Club (AJCC) created the Register of Merit in 1910. This involved tracking cows on a daily basis, a practice that ultimately revolutionized Jersey breeding into a more exact science. Breeders knew which cows were producing (and which were not). Their track records dictated breeding pairs for future generations.
Ayer’s dream was to raise 100 Register of Merit daughters from one sire, Dairylike Majesty, which he acquired in 1921 to replace the Imported Jap. The bull produced at least 50 daughters known for “their uniform lot, characterized by size, constitution and capacity.” By 1924, the Meridale Farms herd had received 39 medals: three Medal of Merit, 12 Gold and 24 Silver. During that time, average milk production had increased 40 percent, with butter production up 53 percent.
The secret ingredients to the perfect butter involve not only the cows, but include grass, air and water unique to this Catskills location. Rich soil, constructively built from manure, lime and phosphorous, yielded food crop, oats and hay, enabling the Farms to maintain a self-sustaining posture. This proved beneficial, particularly during the Depression of 1921, when Ayer managed to hang on and make the farm viable through tough financial times. He offered shares of ownership to his employees when there wasn’t cash to pay them. But there was always food on the farm, and butter, lots of butter.
Another of Ayer’s dairy industry “firsts” was the introduction of cooperative marketing. From the earliest days of Meridale Farms, Ayer had invited neighboring farmers to bring their product to his creamery, where he invested in the best butter-making machinery, branded a high-grade butter under the “Meridale” trademark, extensively advertised it and sold the superior product to an eager audience in New York City, Philadelphia and Atlantic City. This first in cooperative dairying was later adapted to meet consumer demand for sweet cream, milk and powdered skim milk. Capitalizing on Ayer’s advertising genius, the Meridale Butter brand survived many years after the Farms was long out of the butter business.
BREEDING ABROAD
Mr. Ayer once said: “At Meridale Farms we prefer climbing to soaring. Webster makes a very clear distinction: Climb; to ascend gradually by obtaining a higher grasp or footing. Soar; to rise in thought, imagination or ambition. Soaring is an alluring prospect – but climbing is safer. And because the Meridale herd is supplying new blood to hundreds of other breeders, the responsibility rests upon us first to be sure we are right, then to go ahead.” Thus was his philosophy on breeding.
Although Ayer had purchased the Imported Jap from the Isle of Jersey, it wasn’t until 1916 that he actually began making the overseas selections himself. In the years that followed, Ayer sent his various farm managers – R.E. Hutchinson, T.M. Ware and P.A. Dutton – to the Isle of Jersey to make the selections, execute purchases and facilitate transport. Direct importation at Meridale Farms began bringing new bloodlines to Delaware County. As the herd expanded, so did the Spring and Fall auction sales which quickly became a regular part of the Farms’ business model.
The herd’s cultivated traits created a distinct animal, one worthy of a series of countrywide, show-stopping tours. The first 13-animal show herd hit the circuit in 1920, returning home with 16 ribbons including three out of four championships at the National Jersey Show. For the next two years, Meridale Farms garnered a slew of ribbons and accolades, including 19 of 32 champion ribbons and 157 honors of various colors. When Mr. Ayer died in 1923, the herd stayed on the Farm in his honor.
Meridale Farms’ show herds culminated their appearances at the 1939 World’s Fair, as part of the Electrified Farm exhibit. The Farms paid, at its expense, to send two bulls, nine cows and four young heifer calves to Long Island. Meridale Farms also received additional press in 1941 for its Gift Bull Plan where the Fry family donated unregistered calves in an effort to bolster the dairy industry.
The Meridale show herd’s very public success brought interested beginner breeders to the Farms’ bi-annual cattle auctions held the first week of June (Meredith’s Dairy Fest is usually held around this time) and again on the Saturday prior to Labor Day. These major events attracted spectators and buyers from all over the world. Ayer felt that the annual sale afforded the best buying scenario for buyer and seller. Buyers had all the animals at their disposal from which to compare, select, purchase and own. And while Meridale Farms often sold cattle in a private forum, Ayer felt Meridale Farms benefited from holding the event by culling the herd twice a year in large numbers and bringing people together who shared an interest in Jersey breeding.
Despite the depression in 1921, a top price of $10,000 was paid for Golden Cymbeline, who had all the desirable qualities of a Jersey cow, according to Country Life Magazine: “A lovely head set on a clean thin neck. A perfect top line with tremendous barrel and wide sprung rib. Her udder was not only unusually large but it also had symmetry.”
Ayer & McKinney’s motto, “When you see something good, buy it,” held true; most buyers were not disappointed. Determined that every sale have a satisfied customer, Ayer offered a Meridale Guarantee to all buyers. All cattle were tested for tuberculosis by a federal veterinarian who issued a certificate of health. A pedigree with the AJCC Herd Register was transferred with title. And Ayer’s men would ship cattle for free, unless the animal needed to be crated, in which case they boxed up the creature for the cost of materials and labor. Ayer boarded those newly bought at 50 cents a day until buyers could facilitate the animal’s transport. He also offered “equitable adjustment” if an animal didn’t perform as promised. Buyers knew as much about the animal as the seller at the time of purchase and were rarely disappointed. Meridale animals continued to win in fairs and shows across the country even under different ownership. Ayer’s above-board, good-deal business practice kept buyers coming and sending others through word-of-mouth referrals, the ultimate form of flattery and Ayer’s best advertising to date.
THE BREAD OF BREEDING
Most spectators and buyers stayed at the Meredith Inn, the overnight lodging in Meredith Square. Known for its homey atmosphere and convenient proximity to the auction pavilion, the Meredith Inn housed guests primarily June 1st through October. The first Inn burned to the ground on March 5, 1922.
After Mr. Ayer’s death exactly a year later, his summer home, Ayrmont, was renovated, expanded and served as the second Inn until 1953, when it too burned down. A third Inn was created out of the coach house, and still stands on Turnpike Road.
Over the years, Meredith Inn provided jobs for many townspeople, either working in the restaurant, catering to houseguests, or making deliveries. Local businesses thrived as well from this early form of tourism. Visitors arrived by stagecoach and later, by car. In 1924, a special overnight train service was run to accommodate auction goers to the Spring sale. At one point, the Inn offered a motor livery providing cars-for-hire as well as cars-to-rent, a stable with 14 pleasure horses and a casino. Celebrity guests over the years included Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt and Secretary of Agriculture Henry C. Wallace.
OUT TO PASTURE
F.W. Ayer’s estate eventually passed to his daughter Anna and her husband Wilfred Fry. With Mr. Fry’s passing in 1936, Anna carried out her father’s and husband’s final wishes and consolidated Meridale Farms by disposing three of the outlying farms. In 1938, she approached three families residing in the outer farms known as Hillside, Grasslands and Woodside. The price was right, but many working families felt overlooked. Cash was hard to come by during the Depression, but those who owned land could still support their families. Between 1936 and 1940, 32 farms operated in the 23 miles between Delhi and Oneonta. After World War II, the local economy started to change and the smaller farms closed down.
Upon Anna’s death in 1945, the remaining core parcel of Meridale Farms was bestowed upon her daughter Rhandena and husband Ronald Bree. They too shouldered the financial burdens of running a dairy farm until the load became too much, finally forcing the couple to sell the farm in 1948. Garden of Eden, Inc., then the Werblud family tried their hands at small-scale dairy, but by 1986, Maurice Werblud took a federal buy-out of his herd and closed Meridale Farms for good. The land was later sold to the Hamilton family. They too sold the remaining 1200 acres in 2005 to New York Land & Lakes, a land development company looking to subdivide the land into residential parcels.
Of the original Meridale Farms acres, only one parcel still operates as an active dairy farm – the Woodside Jersey farm on Route 28, which has passed through three generations. What remains of the land has been divvied up – some in the hands of private landowners, the rest to be determined in years to come. And while the majority of land has been lost to farming, the historical significance of Meridale Farms lives on. Ayer’s influences on breeding for production, cooperative marketing, and respectable business practice revolutionized the dairy industry. Hopefully, this will not be the final chapter in Meridale Farms nearly 200-year history of farming and agriculture. Will it end up as 5-acre residential lots or be saved by a philanthropist millionaire? This story’s ending has yet to be seen, but hopefully will close with “happily ever after.”
For a photo gallery on the history of Meridale Farms, see http://picasaweb.google.com/meridalefarms/MeredithAll photographs courtesy of Willy Jurjens.
