James R Males

The Purdys James R Males

The Purdys: A Cattle FamilyThe story begins in 1887, when Grant Purdy began studying cattle pedigrees and purchased his first purebred Shorthorn cow and bull. It follows four generations and twelve members of the Purdy family with a love of purebred beef cattle. A close-knit family that lived within a few miles of each other and worked together on Purdy Brothers Shorthorns in northwest Missouri. The story describes the effect of the farm depression that eventually led to all the members of the family interested in purebred beef cattle leaving Missouri for other parts of the United States. They worked on "model farms," and were heavily involved in the growth of Polled Herefords in the mid-south and southeastern United States. Finally, it tells the story of the two members of the family who became college professors specializing in beef cattle and passing on the Purdy way. The people trained and advised by the members of the family include many of the most influential cattle people of the late 20th and early 21st century, including one President of the United States. The best-known member of the family was the most influential beef cattle judge of the late 20th century. This is the cattle story of the Purdys.