When Iowa Farmers Went to War… Over Cows?
Picture this - It's the early 1930s and you're a farmer in Iowa. The Great Depression had been raging for two years and things are looking bleak. Sales are down, the banks have closed and drought has made matters even worse. Then you come to discover that the Iowa legislature has passed a law that requires testing all dairy cows in the state to be tested for bovine tuberculosis. That, in a nutshell, was the beginning of the Iowa Cow War of the 1930s.
The match that lit the far for the war would be started by the owner of an Iowa radio station, which prompted mass riots by Iowa farmers, ultimately leading to the deployment of thousands of members of the National Guard to Iowa farms.
The Iowa Cow War of 1931
The Cow War primarily took place in Cedar County, Iowa in 1931.
It revolved around the testing for bovine tuberculosis on Iowa Farms. Even though a law had been passed, many farmers resisted the testing, fearing that the testing itself would give the cows tuberculosis.
It got so bad that mass protests by Iowa Farmers ensued, with up to 500 in some instances. Farmers were blocking Iowa Veterinarians from entering their properties, even throwing rocks and chamber pots (filled with excrement) at them.
Farmers with pitchforks slashed Health Officials tires, and put mud into the radiators of their vehicles. Eventually, protests were dispersed with tear gas by the National Guard and Martial Law was declared.
Thankfully, no one died in the conflict, although their was one casualty, when an National Guardsman accidently shot himself while cleaning his rifle.
The Cow War soon ended, and the Health Officials were ultimately allowed to inject area cows with the vaccines. But Iowa Farmers remained suspicious of the government telling them what to do for decades to come.
To learn more about the Iowa Cow War, check out this article from Iowa State University.
Story Sources: Great Depression Wiki Page, Iowa Cow War Wiki Page, Bovine Tuberculosis CDC Page, Iowa State University Website
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