The Birth of the Washington State Live Stock Breeders' Association
Prominent stockmen gather in North Yakima to form a new professional organization aimed at elevating the state's agricultural standards and boosting the State Fair.
The Washington State Live Stock Breeders' Association was organized Saturday, October 1st, at North Yakima. A rousing meeting was held, and the officers elected were as follows: Guy MacL. Richards, president; J. Lawson Smith, secretary; N. C. Moies, treasurer. The time of the regular annual meeting was fixed to be held during the State Fair, and special meetings subject to call. In his address, President Richards explained the object of the organization: 'We have initiated this movement for a live working association for the purpose of fostering and developing to the highest degree our stock interests. One of the main objects is to stimulate livestock exhibitions, particularly at the State Fair. Under its auspices it will make the annual stock show at North Yakima of yearly increasing importance and educational value.' The membership fee was set at $10 to ensure the association had a substantial operating fund, with Richards noting that the organization required a high standard of stock from its members, serving as a guarantee of quality.
“To be a member of this association requires a high standard of stock raised by such member, and it is therefore a guarantee that stock is sold on its merits.”
This 1898 meeting highlights the era when Yakima was positioning itself as the agricultural hub of the Pacific Northwest. Today, the legacy of these early industry associations persists in the region's massive agricultural trade groups that continue to lobby for the interests of Washington's multi-billion dollar farming economy.
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