The Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
Clyde Hill Farm
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Early Farm
The Sisters of Perpetual Adoration began their farming efforts as soon as they arrived in their new home in an attempt to feed themselves and the people under their care. They began with a basic orchard and potato field, including cabbage and tomato plants. Ten years after the construction of their convent, they had an established field of 50 tomato stalks and 2,000 heads of cabbage. The sisters also possessed one dairy cow to fulfill their need for milk. A modest but sizable farm that would sustain the sisters for much of their early years.
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In 1905, the sisters decided to expand their land and their crop production with more land for hay as well as grape plants which produced 500 pounds each year. The sisters built a granary with their hay harvests and expanded their livestock to include a chicken house. In 1912, the sisters would raise 700 baby chickens and the sister in charge of the coop would even attend a class for poultry-keeping where she earned a diploma.
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Their growing farm would begin another phase in 1911, when the sisters decided to purchase hogs and three cows from the Holstien breed. The growing cattle meant a need for more land and so the sisters purchased two farms around the convent to expand grazing lands. 1915 brought about an amazing harvest of hay and oats: 3,000 and 100 bushels respectively.
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A group of construction workers posing for a photo with the farm in the background.
The Clyde chickens with the chicken coop.
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The Diploma of Sister Clementine.
Sister Clementine and the chickens.
Change in Focus and the Start of the
Dairy Program
A farm hand on a tractor.
Joeseph Gemmeke with a cow.
The original dairy barn before the fire.
In 1917 Pope Benedict XV required female religious institutions to have a formal constitution outlining their duties and mission. The constitution for the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration came into effect in 1925 and stated that the sisters should remain in the convent so that they may focus on worshipping God rather than helping the community around them. They ceased their outside teaching operations and became more cloistered than they had been previously, with just one school in the convent which closed just nine years later. The sisters decided to expand the dairy farm as one of their main sources of income and stability.
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In the 1910’s the sisters had constructed an enormous barn in the shape of a U which would serve as their dairy barn and they further expanded in the 1920’s with milking machines. They also hired a farm manager named Joseph Gemmeke who immigrated to America from Germany. In 1923, the herd was registered, and three new bulls were purchased in the next 10 years to support the growing herd.
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Progress halted in 1933 following a fire which completely ruined the barn as well as two silos, though no cattle were lost. The damages went as high as $70,000 in losses but the sisters decided to push forward with the dairy program despite the loss. They rebuilt the barn out of brick with walls to stop another fire, which saved the barn when it caught fire again in 1946.
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A certificate from the Holstein-Friesian Association of America for Progressive Breeding.
A box of all the ribbons Clyde Hill Farms won.
Success of the Program
In 1936, the farm joined the Dairy Herd Improvement Association and just five years after they joined, the farm’s butterfat production raised by 55 percent. The output of the cows themselves started at 278 pounds in 1936, and by 1941 it raised up to 506 pounds. The farms largest ever producer gave 795 pounds in butterfat, and they had ten cows all together that gave over 600 pounds and five with over 700. A nationally accepted number of 300 pounds of butterfat per cow meant that a cow could be profitable, and Missouri’s average was only 160 pounds per cow making these cows exceptional!
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In 1937, the convent sold cattle for the first time and because of their nationwide success with their butterfat, all of the bulls on sale were sold before they were even born! The same thing would occur again during the 1946 sale. Their cows even had buyers all over the world in places like Canada, Argentina, and Italy.
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Their breeding program was focused entirely on the convent itself. Rather than buying expensive cows from outside, they worked on breeding the cows they already owned strategically to increase the production of their cows. In the 1950s, the convents breeding strategies were studied by National Association of Artificial Breeders and were a part of recommendations made by the association on good cattle breeding The convent also boasted seven consecutive Progressive Breeders awards from 1941 to 1948. They were the first in Missouri to receive the award and one of four to receive the award more than twice in the United States.
End of the Farm
The 1960s brought about an immense change to not only the Convent but Clyde itself. In 1963, the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration decided to sell the herd and end their dairy production. They decided to focus more on their faith mission rather than distracting themselves with the cattle industry.
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The cattle industry wrote about this decision and gave credit to farm manager Gemmeke for the farm and its success despite the fact that the sisters were active participants long before he arrived. Following the closing of the farm, the sisters were criticized by the Holstein community as they decided to privately sell their cows rather than open the farm up to fans. They also faced criticism for choosing their faith over their farm which left much of the cattle industry disappointed. The sisters received little recognition themselves for all the hard work they put into running and managing the farm.