North Dakota Grimm Alfalfa Association Records

Collection

Identifier: Mss 129

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Grimm Alfalfa Association Papers consist of material related to the development of the organization and its business dealings including by-laws; accounting; advertising; a list of stockholders, and correspondence.

Dates

1916-1939.

Creator

North Dakota Grimm Alfalfa Association. (Organization)

Access

The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the NDSU Archives.

Copyrights

Copyrights to this collection are held by the NDSU Archives.

History

Wendelin Grimm was born October 18, 1818 in Germany. In 1857, he immigrated to the United States with his wife and three children. He brought with him a bag of seed for “everlasting clover.” He purchased 160 acres in Laketown Township, and in 1872 purchased a second farm. Grimm planted a crop over the winter months using the seed he brought from Germany. He saved the seeds that survived the cold, and replanted with them the following year. Grimm alfalfa became winter hardy. At first, he only sold this crop to his neighbors. But it became very popular due to its high yields and hardiness. Grimm died in 1890, but his legacy lives on.

Grimm alfalfa was first planted in North Dakota in 1901. The Dickinson Experiment Station planted 68 strains of alfalfa in 1908. In the spring, the Grimm alfalfa was the only variety to thrive. In 1916, the Grimm Alfalfa Growers Association was organized by the North Dakota Agricultural College and the Experiment Station. The Association was the first to handle and sell the Grimm alfalfa seed cooperatively. In 1924, a rival cooperative, the Northwest Seed Growers Association, was organized. One of the prime figures in the new organization was W.R. Porter, manager and secretary of the Grimm Association. Porter resigned from the Grimm Association in 1924, but the animosity between the two cooperatives continued. Much of the correspondence relates to the rivalry between the two groups. The Grimm Association honored Wendelin Grimm with a plaque on his original farm in 1924. By the 1930s, Grimm alfalfa was the preferred variety in the United States.

Extent

.4 Linear Feet (.4 linear ft.)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

In 1916, the Grimm Alfalfa Growers Association was organized by the North Dakota Agricultural College and the Experiment Station. The Association was the first to handle and sell the Grimm alfalfa seed cooperatively. The Grimm Alfalfa Association Papers consist of material related to the development of the organization and its business dealings including by-laws; accounting; advertising; a list of stockholders, and correspondence.