About Foremost Dairy Center

John Denbigh, superintendent of the Center, cares for more than 425 cattle including Holsteins and Guernseys.

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The Foremost Dairy Center is at the intersection of traditional hands-on teaching and cutting-edge research.

Overall, the Center supports more than 425 cattle, including the popular Holstein, the black-and-white spotted cow, and Guernsey breeds.

The work we do improves the health of dairy herds and the quality of their milk.

We dissemintate the knowlegde gained through our research to those working in the field as well as the next generation of dairy farmers, scientists and industry specialists.

Farm History

Named for James Cash Penney's beloved bull Langwater Foremost, the Foremost Dairy Center is a research and teaching facility located near Midway in Columbia, Mo. The farm is based on a 495-acre tract donated from the J.C. Penney Farm in 1952 and a 450-acre tract donated from the Holstein Farm in 1963.

The son of a Hamilton, Mo., farmer and preacher, Penney was instilled with a desire to live and do business by the Golden Rule, and his straight dealing practices made his business ventures a success.

As his personal fortune grew, he became concerned about the low quality of American milk and meat and the splintering of America's great cattle herds. These concerns inspired him to buy Langwater Foremost in the 1920s for the then record price of $20,000.

We are inspired by Penney's example and we're proud to be a part of that legacy here at Mizzou's Foremost Dairy Center.