Alejandro Murtagh: the Veterinary Dean Behind Argentina's Hereford Jurors Prize

Who was Alejandro Murtagh?

Alejandro Murtagh is remembered in Argentine cattle circles for two roles that rarely sit together: he was a trained veterinarian who became dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires, and he was a working officer of the breed society for Herefords. The Argentine Hereford Association's own magazine describes him as a man with a recognized career in the profession and in teaching, and as a faithful promoter of the white-faced breed.

The details that survive in public print are modest. The association's publications give no birth date and no long narrative of his career, so this profile sticks to what those pages state: his posts, the contest he pushed for, and the prize that has carried his name since 1984. That is a thin record for a hall of fame page, and we say so plainly rather than fill the gap with guesses.

What did Alejandro Murtagh do for Argentine Hereford breeders?

According to the association's magazine, Murtagh served as Executive Director of the Asociacion Argentina Criadores de Hereford during 1983 and 1984. A breed society's executive director handles the daily business of herd book records, shows, sales and member relations, so the post put him close to the breeders, known as cabaneros, who raise registered stock.

The same account says he was convinced that the sons and daughters of cabaneros ought to get to know the family business from the inside. Out of that conviction he pushed for the Concurso de Jurados, the jurors contest held at the Exposicion Rural in Palermo, Buenos Aires. Details of how the idea was adopted are not given in the pages we read, but the credit for driving it forward is clear: the association's 2017 magazine states that he propelled the contest.

How the Hereford jurors contest works

The Concurso de Jurados is a judging competition. Entrants study live animals in the ring and rank them, then their placings are scored against those of an expert judge. In the 2017 results table, the senior category was for entrants over 21, and top scores in that category ran above 1,000 points, with a first-place tie at 1,063. A juvenile category runs alongside it for younger entrants.

In a later issue, a second Hereford magazine report describes the contest again at Palermo, with children and adults classifying breeding bulls and females through the morning and prizes handed out at the association's stand that afternoon. The winner of the top prize that year, Emma de La Tour, scored 985 points across the combined senior and juvenile categories.

The Hereford Association also holds regional editions. The 2017 magazine notes a tenth jurors contest at the Rio Cuarto rural show, organized by a rural society youth group, which shows the format traveling beyond Palermo.

The Premio Alejandro Murtagh

The association states that since Murtagh's death in 1984 the prize for the highest score at the jurors contest has carried his name. In practice that means the single best result across categories at Palermo is called the Premio Alejandro Murtagh, a way of tying each new generation of young judges to the man who argued for the contest.

A letter printed in the 2017 issue, written by a member of his family after the contest, adds a human touch. It says the contest has taught and inspired people for more than thirty years, and that the family felt it was a fitting way to honor his memory. We cite it only for that general point and leave out private family detail.

Argentina's Hereford tradition

Herefords are a British beef breed, recognizable by the red body and white face that gives them the Spanish nickname cara blanca. In Argentina the breed has an organized society, the Asociacion Argentina Criadores de Hereford, which publishes a magazine, sponsors shows, and runs registered female sales at Palermo. The 2017 issue covers the 131st livestock exposition at La Rural, with the traditional ribbon cutting that opens it.

Those events are where the cabaneros meet buyers and where the judging contest fits in. For anyone tracing Murtagh, the association's magazine archive is the best place to look next, along with the University of Buenos Aires veterinary faculty records.

Learn more about Alejandro Murtagh

Anyone researching ranching and cattle breeding history can pair this profile with farm.FM's ranching coverage for the wider story of beef breeds, and with a farm.FM story on Hereford cattle for the breed itself. For the primary record, read the association's own magazine issues, which carry the passages about Murtagh quoted in paraphrase above.