Elmer Dawdy & The Tidy Burkes

Elmer Dawdy’s “Tidy Burke” Holstein dairy herd was one of the most outstanding small herds of all time. The herd which never exceeded 24 cows in milk, was known for impressive cows with great rib, correct feet and legs and tremendous well-attached udders.

At first, Elmer Dawdy did not use a prefix to name his cattle. Eventually he settled on “Tidy Burke,” a combination using the names of his first two sires; Sir Bess Tidy and Wis Burke Ideal, thus “Tidy Burke.”

Today, the Tidy Burke prefix can be found in the pedigree of most of the popular cow families in the Holstein breed and most often, be found numerous times.