Prominent central Illinois Shorthorn breeder and active on the Illinois State Board of Agriculture.
1859-1927 | Artist: Robert Wadsworth Grafton (1876-1936)
Impact & Accomplishments
Born in Pike County, Ohio, J. Frank Prather moved with his father, a cattle breeder, to Williamsville, Illinois. In 1877, his father purchased a farm for him, and he began to breed Shorthorns.
He formed a partnership with C. B. Dustin in 1891, and the men secured foundation stock from William Duthie’s herd in Scotland. Prather was a director of the American Shorthorn Association for many years; its president from 1908 to 1910. He was active on the Illinois State Board of Agriculture, and in the 1890s, established a banking business.
Did You Know?
Prather and other early breeders, researcher Chuck Kirchner wrote,
… helped to insure that the Shorthorn is one of three cattle breeds (the others being the Hereford and Aberdeen Angus that always win the grand championship at the International Livestock Show in Chicago, which is considered the world series of cattle competition.
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