Reimagining the Tropical Beef Frontier and the Nation in Early Twentieth-Century Colombia

On the eve of World War I, the future of global beef supplies appeared uncertain. The world’s largest exporter at the beginning of the century, the United States, had become a net importer. While Argentina’s success at replacing the United States in international markets was remarkable, people with an eye on the beef trade feared that the expansion of domestic consumption and agriculture on the Pampas would curtail further growth of exports. ¹ With North Atlantic demand continuing to rise, especially after the onset of war, there was an urgent need to develop new sources of supply. In this context, the possibilities of tropical ranching began to generate much interest. ² In 1914, noted author and editor of the Boston Evening Transcript, Joseph Edgar Chamberlin, reported on the bright prospects for raising cattle in Colombia. With “more cheap and unused grazing land than any other country in the world,” he noted, “Colombia alone could feed us [the multiplying millions of the United States] with beef for many years.” ³