The Randleigh Legacy

William Rand Kenan Jr.

William Rand Kenan Jr. was born April 30, 1872 in Wilmington, NC. While a student at UNC, he assisted in the discovery of calcium carbide and the extraction of acetylene from that material. After graduation, Kenan traveled far and wide to set up chemical laboratories for Carbide Manufacturing. He later settled in the town of Lockport, NY.

In 1916, Kenan inherited responsibility for some of his brother-in-law, Henry Flagler’s business ventures, including: Florida East Coast Railroad, P&O Steamship Co., Miami Electric Light and Water Company and Florida Power and Light.

Kenan was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws from UNC for his work with Jersey cows and was the second person to receive the American Jersey Cattle Club Master Breeder designation. In 1969, he was posthumously named a Pioneer by the National Dairy Shrine.

From a Family Cow to a Research Center

Kenan purchased his first cow, a Jersey named Daisy, in 1913. The original plan was to have a family cow grazing on his 15 acre homestead in Lockport, NY. After falling in love with the Jersey breed, Kenan purchased a 470 acre farm outside of Lockport along with a herd of Jerseys to put there. He named the farm Randleigh, a combination of his middle name with leigh, the Scots word for meadow.

The Randleigh Dairy opened in 1932 and included one of the nation’s first automated milking parlors and an observation room for visitors to watch the milking process. Milk products were available to the public, and became so popular that no delivery was needed- locals would come to the dairy to pick up fresh milk and ice cream!

Kenan decided he didn’t just want to own a dairy farm; he wanted to help make the dairy industry better. He collaborated with researchers and scientists to study and improve the Jersey breed. Some of the many beneficial projects included adding mineral to cow feed for better nutrition and using ultraviolet lights to improve cow health and milk content.

Mooving the Herd

When William Rand Kenan Jr. passed away in 1965, he donated the Randleigh Dairy to the UNC System, with the option of keeping the herd in New York or moving the Jerseys to North Carolina. Officials chose to relocate the farm to NCSU, and in 1966 his herd of 37 cows and 41 heifers traveled to Raleigh.

The herd was first placed on a 420 acre farm off of Auburn-Knightdale Road in 1970. As the city of Raleigh began to grow into a highly developed area, it became hard for students, faculty and researchers to visit the farm. In 2003, after more than 40 years at the Auburn-Knightdale site, the Randleigh Jerseys were moved to the NC State Dairy Farm.

The Randleigh Legacy Today

In all of its locations, the goal of Randleigh has remained the same; increasing milk production and efficiency of the Jersey breed.

As part of NC State University, the farm continues to work to help the dairy industry through demonstration, research and education, while staying true to the identity of the Randleigh herd.

All of the Jersey cows that call the NC State Dairy Farm home, are descendants of the original 78 Jerseys that came to the farm Lockport, NY.