The collection includes material created or collected by Halbert about the Michigan PBB disaster and how it affected him and his family. Materials he created include: his co-written article with Jackson, an invitation letter from American Veterinary Medical Association and his speaking notes, his Outline for Bitter Harvest, his personal health records, speeches, speaking notes, and his testimony before the Michigan House of Representations (1974) and US House of Representatives (1978). Materials he collected includes newspaper, magazine, and journal articles in which he is cited, thanked, and/or discussed, remarks by Governor William G. Milliken about Toxic Chemicals in Michigan, June 24, 1978 and PBB history/legislative report from Milliken administration, undated [1978], and Remarks by Lt. Governor James H. Brickley about PBB in Michigan, October 4, 1978, and reference materials about PBB. A 1986 VHS videotape of Bitter Harvest was separately cataloged. The collection is organized alphabetically and in good physical condition, with some acidification.
Researchers may also be interested in other PBB research manuscript collections and secondary sources about PBB in the Clarke Historical Library, including the memoir, Bitter Harvest (1978).
Processing Note: During processing social security numbers were blacked out on copies of health records and those pages were photocopied. Extremely acidic materials were photocopied and the originals, as well as duplicates of other materials (1 folder total), were withdrawn and returned to the donor, as per the donor agreement.
Biography:
Frederic “Ric” L. Halbert (March 1945-) is the son of dairy farmer Frederick P. and Esther P. Halbert. He had two sisters, Barbara and Kay. Halbert earned a master’s degree from Michigan State University and worked at Dow Chemical as a chemical engineer. In 1971 he and his family returned to his family’s 2,000-acree, 400-cow dairy farm near Battle Creek, Michigan. In September 1973, his cows started exhibiting many physical and health issues, including loss of appetite, stillborn calves, and their milk production dropped 30 to 40 percent. Within six weeks cows began to die. Although nobody knew it at the time, this was the start of the Michigan PBB disaster. Halbert suspected a new shipment of dairy ration #402 from Farm Bureau Services, Inc. After seven months of studying samples, using his chemistry knowledge, and working with his veterinarian, Ted F. Jackson, Halbert was the first to identify PBB as the culprit. He and Jackson then co-wrote about the findings in their article “A Toxic Syndrome Associated with the Feeding of Polybrominated Biphenyl-Contaminated Protein Concentrate to Dairy Cattle,” which was published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, V. 165, 1974. The state quarantined the Halbert farm on May 10, 1974, reducing their income to zero. His herd was buried in a Kalkaska County burial pit. After receiving claim settlement, he tried to start over with new cattle, but calves soon exhibited signs of PBB poisoning from residual contamination on the farm. Halbert then filed suit against Farm Bureau Services and the Michigan Chemical Company. Ric presented at multiple events about PBB, and testified at PBB hearings held by the Michigan House of Representations (1974) and US House of Representatives (1978). In 1978 he was an invited presenter at the American Veterinary Medical Association’s conference. He and his wife, Sandra, documented their story in the memoir, Bitter Harvest (1978), which became an award-winning and Emmy-nominated movie starring Ron Howard. Over the years he continued to document the widespread impact of PBB in Michigan and participated in multiple PBB health studies. Halbert served as the Director of Barry County Telephone, Hasting City Bank, and in 2023 is the Director at Hastings Mutual Insurance Company. In 2023 the Halberts live in Delton, Barry County, Michigan. (This information is from the collection and linkedin and ancestry.com, viewed in 2023.)
Dr. Ted F. Jackson (1921-1975) earned his D.V.M. at Michigan State University in 1944. His son, Jeffrey F. Jackson, created a documentary, Cattlegate, about the Michigan PBB disaster in 1983. Dr. Jackson's papers are in the Michigan State University Archives and Special Collections. For more information about Dr. Jackson and his papers, see the online finding aid for them is available at https://findingaids.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/3382.
