Collective organisation of knowledge in the early phase of the Dutch-Friesian dairy industry (c. 1880-1914)

Abstract

During the last quarter of the nineteenth century, science and technology opened up new avenues for dairy farmers. Improved techniques for measuring the percentage of fat content in milk and new mechanical production processes had a considerable influence on the dairy production system. However, knowledge was essential to make the most of these opportunities. Historians have offered diverse explanations for the implementation of a knowledge infrastructure within pre-existing dairy networks. Some studies have emphasized the role of individual actors, while others focused on the influence of cooperative structures. This article contributes to the latter and adds a geographical dimension to the organizational history of dairy knowledge. Based on research in archives and newspapers, it investigates two knowledge institutions in the Dutch province of Friesland: a dairy consultancy and a dairy school, both founded in 1889. The conclusion is that the implementation of knowledge institutions was encouraged by the interplay between regional initiatives and national economic policies.

Old wine in new wineskins? Understanding the cooperative movement: Catalonia, 1860–1939

“…From a theoretical perspective, some authors have argued that cooperatives, which often suffer financial problems owing to low investment and weak capitalisation -mainly caused by a risk-averse membership -need support structures created by the State and other institutions in order to survive (Vanek 1970;Ben-Ner 1988;Hansmann 1996;among others). A large number of case studies have emphasised this as a cause of the success or failure of French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Danish agrarian cooperatives (Garrido 1996(Garrido , 1997Simpson 2000;Simpson and Carmona 2017;Chevet 2009;Henriksen et al 2012;Planas 2013Planas , 2016Medina-Albaladejo 2015;Planas and Medina-Albaladejo 2017;Medina-Albaladejo and Menzani 2017;Fernández and Simpson 2017;Molema 2017). Finally, the development of digital tools, such as GIS, have permitted the inclusion of detailed geographic data in historical studies which, in turn, opens up new lines of research (Martí-Henneberg, 2011).…”

Institutionalisation of Knowledge-based Growth: the Case of the Dutch-Frisian Dairy Sector (1895–1950)

“…Production and exports of margarine threatened the market position of Frisian ‘real’ butter. Moreover, in the 1890s Danish high quality butter took over the leading position of the Dutch and Frisians on the English market (Molema, 2017: 99–100). Frisians were well aware of this, moreover because the English market was fundamental to their commercial success in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.…”

“…In 1892, the new, simpler and cheaper Gerber fat measurement method became available, which meant that larger-scale use became possible. Clearly, this opportunity was seized by Frisian farmers and dairy factories (Molema, 2017; Zwart, 1960: 218). Data for other provinces are lacking, but in Friesland a rapidly increasing number of dairy factories not only measured fat content of milk deliveries, but also used it as the basis for their pricing system (Figure 3).…”