What is the timeline of Heifer International?

Heifer Through the Decades Videos

Since 1944 Heifer International has been alleviating hunger, poverty and environmental degradation by helping communities become self-reliant for food and income. Providing livestock and training to hungry families is Heifer's unique approach that originated with one simple idea-not a cup, but a cow.

During the Spanish Civil War, Heifer's founder Dan West served as a relief worker handing out cups of powdered milk from America to children on both sides of the conflict. He saw green fields and knew people had lost cattle in the war and he reasoned, "If families had a dairy cow they could be spared the indignity of depending on others to feed their children."

His friends back home agreed. Virgil Mock donated the first calves. Claire Stine raised them. Roger Roop gave his farm as a holding center. In 1944, the first shipment of 17 cows left York, Pennsylvania, for Puerto Rico, going to families whose malnourished children had never even tasted milk before.

Over the years, Heifer and its supporters have touched the lives of more than 4.5 million families in 125 countries. Families from Zambia to Appalachia have used Heifer livestock and training to alleviate hunger and poverty and become self-reliant for food and income.

Heifer's unique approach to international development also promotes strong communities, sustainability, environmental protection, education and peace.

Heifer Timeline

1937 - Spanish Civil War relief worker Dan West develops "Not a cup but a cow" concept

1939 - "Heifers for Relief" founded by Church of the Brethren in Indiana

1944 - Heifer's first shipment of dairy animals to Puerto Rico

1945 - Shipment of 550 dairy cows to China

1946 - First shipment of animals to U.S. farmers

1947 - Thousands of dairy goats sail to Japan

1948 - Ecuador receives pigs, Heifer's first such shipment

1953 - President Eisenhower donates a prize bull for American Farm School in Greece

1953 - Heifer Project, Inc. established

1955 - Cross-breeding program in India quadruples milk production for millions of cows

1957 - The 10,000^th heifer shipped to Germany

1960 - Shipment of heifers to Russia to express American friendship despite Cold War

1962 - In Ecuador and Bolivia, Heifer enters into first contracts with Peace Corps

1967 - Celebration of shipment to Egypt of 1,000,000^th chick

1971 - National dairy development program started in Tanzania

1971 - World headquarters moved to Little Rock and Heifer Ranch purchased

1973 - Name changed to Heifer Project International

1974 - Livestock research and development program begun in Cameroon

1978 - Heifer estimates that half of the chickens in South Korea are descended from Heifer chicks and hatching eggs supplied after the Korean War

1985 - China program re-established with importation of rabbits and goats

1986 - President Reagan confers volunteerism award

1989 - Hillary Clinton hosts Women in Livestock Development (WiLD) conference

1990 - President George Bush gives Presidential End Hunger Award

1990 - Heifer International Foundation established

1994 - Heifer celebrates 50^th anniversary

1995 - Central/Eastern Europe programs started

1997 - Heifer China sends trainload of dairy goats to North Korea

1998 - President Clinton visits project partners in Uganda

1998 - Disaster Rehabilitation Fund for rapid response to worldwide emergencies established

1999 - Celebration of distribution of a million Heifer International animals in China

2001 - With name change, Heifer Project International becomes Heifer International

2002 - China celebrates pass-on of 3 millionth Heifer International animal

2002 - The Kisinga Women's Dairy Goat Project in Uganda celebrated the arrival of 50 dairy goats donated by Oprah Winfrey

2003 - Heifer surpasses $50 million in revenue

2003 - Heifer was featured on the popular television show, The West Wing, during an episode on world hunger and foreign aid

2003 - Groundbreaking for Heifer International World Headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas

2004 - Beatrice Birra featured in New York Times article

2004 - 60^thanniversary celebration at the Peabody Hotel

2004 - Heifer awarded Hilton Humanitarian Prize

2005 - Heifer surpasses $75 million in revenue

2005 - Beatrice Biira (the subject of the book, Beatrice's Goat) and Heifer were featured on CBS's "60 Minutes" news program

2005 - Heifer receives $3.5 million gift for new education center

2006 - Staff move into new world headquarters building in Little Rock, Arkansas

2006 - Building dedication of new world headquarters building. President Clinton and Jeffrey Sachs keynote speakers

2006 - Heifer hosted first ever Hilton Humanitarian Prize Roundtable

2008 - The East Africa Dairy Development project is launched, bringing innovation to the diary industry to boost milk yields.

2011 - Heifer formally transitions to larger programs that serve more that 1,000 families per project.

2016 - Heifer establishes Team heifer as its endurance fundraising program.

2016 - Heifer focuses on helping families reach living incomes and aligns it methods with the United Nations sustainable Development Goals.

2019 - Heifer celebrates its 75th anniversary.