JEFFERSONVILLE – Dave Slater and his brother George have been raising and selling American British White Park Cattle since 1999, when they began the venture with their friend, John Gempler.

It was their desire to raise excellent quality beef cattle in Jeffersonville, an endeavor that took them all over the country to source an animal herd of exceptional quality. Dave was recently recognized for his efforts at the national banquet of the American British White Park Association in Syracuse on September 5, where he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“I was surprised to get it, I really didn’t expect it,” said Slater, who has been in the British White Park game since the association’s inception. “My buddy John Gempler and I got in on it and it was a small association, and we just kept growing. I started with six animals and now I’ve got over 100.”

To acquire this herd, the pair traveled extensively. “John and I would travel all over the country,” Slater said. “We’d go to Iowa, we’d go to Oklahoma, we’d go to Tennessee, Texas, to either buy or sell animals.”

The White Park is a British breed of cattle that is predominantly white, with spots of black or red, that got their start in the United States due to geopolitical tensions in Europe.

“The American British White Park came over in the 1940s,” said Slater. “They were on a farm over in Britain, and Winston Churchill had a bunch of them shipped over [to America] before Germany invaded England.”

White Park cattle can be used for both milk production and beef. “I know a few people that do milk them, but for most people, including me, they are just beef cows,” explained Slater.

“C’mon girls!” Slater yelled as he dumped a bucket of feed into a trough. As he fed his herd, his affinity for these animals was obvious. When asked if he views his cattle as pets or as food, Slater responded, “They’re my pets, but I grew up eating my pets—I hate to say it that way, but it’s the truth.”

Slater, who was a technology teacher and basketball coach at Liberty Central School District until his retirement last year, remained modest in light of the recent recognition.

“It’s a nice honor, but I don’t deserve it,” he said. “There are a lot of people in this association that deserve it more. I’m not one who wants accolades, I want people to come to my farm and say, ‘Hey I could walk up to Mable and she doesn’t run.’ That’s what it’s about, not awards.”

Slater said it’s important to learn from history and the older generation that’s lived through it. “Learn from the old guys because they got here for a reason, they had it a lot tougher than we have,” he said.

When asked what he gleaned from the previous generation, Slater said his most impactful advice came from his father, a dairy farmer, who told him: “Work hard and stay humble.”