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THE LIVESTOCK CONSERVANCY ANNUAL PROGRAM REPORT 2013-‐14

The Livestock

Conservancy Annual

Program Report

2013-14

ENSURING THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE BY CONSERVING THE PAST Since SINCE 1977

As guardians of genetic diversity, The Livestock Conservancy is the leading non-‐profit organization dedicated to saving nearly 200 breeds of livestock and poultry from extinction. Founded in 1977, our mission is to strengthen the future of agriculture through genetic conservation and the promotion of endangered breeds of livestock and poultry. Through our programs, the Conservancy has prevented extinctions, expanded populations, educated beginning farmers, and assisted breeders in establishing new markets for their products.

The Livestock Conservancy’s Discover, Secure, and Sustain Program builds the research, education, and outreach that help farmers and breed organizations maintain the long-‐term viability and sustainability of endangered breeds.

The result is the effective conservation of rare breeds which also:

• Protects our food system by

securing genetic resources.

• Ensures broad genetic diversity for

the evolution of agriculture.

• Retains valuable genetic traits

such as disease resistance,

survival, self-sufficiency, fertility,

longevity, foraging ability, and

maternal instincts.

• Preserves our heritage, history,

and culture.

• Maintains breeds well-suited for

sustainable, grass-based, and

organic systems.

• Provides small farms a competitive

edge in the industrialized

agricultural system.

Paying it Forward The Livestock Conservancy’s new book provides an introduction to heritage breeds capturing the experience and knowledge of our master breeders.

Discover, Secure & Sustain

THE LIVESTOCK CONSERVANCY ANNUAL PROGRAM REPORT 2

Traditional Morgan–– CRITICAL As foremost trotting horses of their day, the Morgan breed became the foundation for several other horse breeds.

In 2013, we began a comprehensive census of livestock that includes more than 150 breeds of cattle, horses, sheep, swine, and goats. Global population estimates were obtained for many of the breeds in order to gain a global context of livestock conservation efforts. A census report will be submitted later this year for publication, so that these data can be used by stockmen, researchers, and conservators around the world.

Priority shifts have already been made based on the information gained from the census. For example, a segment of the Morgan horse breed that we are tentatively

calling “Morgan – Traditional” were added to the Conservation Priority List for additional study in 2013. A true American icon, the Morgan horse was once valued for its ability to pull more than its weight around the homestead during the week and then, as a handsome, fast trotting carriage horse, take the family proudly to church on Sunday. In the 20th century many Morgans were crossed with other breeds to create flashier horses in the show ring. Today the horses whose pedigrees remain free of outcrossing number around 1500.

For this comprehensive study of eight critically endangered heritage hog breeds, we have:

s Completed data analysis from a collaborative research study at Berea College to assess performance and carcass characteristics of the eight breeds. Data tables are completed and handouts are being prepared. Carcass datasheets will be made available for use by farmers and their

customers, chefs, and processing facilities.

s Collected DNA samples from eight breeds and submitted to Dr. Yves Plante at Univ. of Sasketchewan for analysis.

s Three breed associations have also provided herdbooks for analysis of pedigrees, and the first set of breeding recommendations were developed for the Ossabaw Hog.

s Developed and distributed an enterprise budget for heritage pigs, to help farmers in their financial planning. This has been enthusiastically received.

s Educated farmers about breed selection, husbandry and marketing for heritage pigs at workshops conducted at the Mother Earth News Fairs in Pennsylvania, Washington, and Kansas. Follow-‐up from the workshops has been positive as a number of farmers seek to meet the growing consumer demand for heritage pork.

By shedding light on genetic

diversity within and between breeds, and creating educational and marketing materials, The Livestock Conservancy will assist farmers in gaining expertise they need to ensure the future of these eight breeds.

Saving Endangered Hog Breeds

Comprehensive Livestock Census


The Livestock Conservancy’s reach on social media has expanded dramatically this year. Our Facebook followers increased from 8,157 in January of 2014 to over 12,000 currently.

Choctaw Hog Rescue In 2013 we launched a new project to establish a conservation breeding herd of Choctaw hogs. These hogs played a significant role in American history and culture, yet they are now highly endangered and only around 100-‐150 animals remain. Access to this rare breed has been challenging, but now we have the chance to obtain and raise pigs that can be placed in the hands of new breed stewards. These stewards will breed and expand the population while discovering and documenting their unique attributes, so that Choctaw pigs can be re-‐introduced to American agriculture.

The Heritage Chicken Recovery Project is working to conserve and improve America’s second oldest breed of chickens, the Java. This recovery effort is a five year project, begun in 2011.

In 2013 we -‐incubated over 400 eggs and sent chicks to 9 farms within the states of NC, VA, KY, IA, and IL. Each year we have added more breeders, and expanded the number of breeding chickens. A previously unknown flock in the Midwest also provided eggs for the project in 2013.

The Livestock Conservancy has educated all participants in methods to select the best breeding birds to improve the hardiness and productivity of their flocks.

For the last two years we have conducted selection workshops at the Seed Savers Exchange annual meeting in Decorah, Iowa. These workshops introduced new groups of conservators to the important

principles of production selection. The selected flocks were donated to new breed stewards after the conference.

This fall when we visited participating farms we saw good uniformity in the flocks. As breeders continue to select, they will begin to see progress in gain and rate of lay.

POULTRY SUMMIT: The Livestock Conservancy helped organize an important meeting that brought us together the leadership of the American Poultry Association to find common ground on collaborative conservation efforts that will effectively identify and secure important poultry breeds.

Choctaw Hog - CRITICAL An American breed that descends from Spanish stock brought to the Americas beginning in the 1500s.

Heritage Chicken Recovery Project


Rare Turkey Rescue This spring the Livestock Conservancy found that the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory in Athens, Georgia had a closed flock of Beltsville Small White Turkeys. The Beltsville Small White turkey, at one time, was considered a fine bird for the family. By the 1970’s it was nearly extinct and a few small flocks are all that remain. We have hatched a number of poults and placed them with new breed stewards.

Toulouse Geese - WATCH Standard Dewlap Toulouse are probably the most challenging domestic goose to raise successfully. Seed stock is expensive, because they do not reproduce consistently until two or three years of age.

With unprecedented interest in local foods and sustainable agriculture, The Livestock Conservancy has seen an increased demand for its knowledge and services. Significant training accomplishments in 2013 included:

A classroom project, in conjunction with the Chatham County 4-‐H and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service provided a hands-‐on learning experience in embryology and chicken incubation using heritage Buckeye chicken eggs and heritage Saxony and Magpie duck eggs. Sixteen classrooms received incubators, curriculum and materials. “Students are tasked with caring for the fertilized eggs and then the chicks after they have hatched. This year’s classrooms also learned about various rare breeds of chickens and ducks and the necessity to work to save these creatures. Caring for and learning about rare breed birds provided an extra special

experience for both the youth and the teachers as well. At the conclusion of the session, all chicks are returned to their respective breeder,” said Ginger Cunningham, Program Assistant for Chatham County 4-‐H. In return, the staff at The Livestock Conservancy was overwhelmed by the interest and gratitude expressed by the students in their thank you notes, many of which included hand-‐drawn pictures of the chicks and ducklings. The program will be repeated in 2014, and the Conservancy is recruiting more classrooms and breeders.

Hands-‐on workshops in the summer of 2013 taught members of the Island Heritage Breeds Conservancy in British Columbia techniques for selecting their best turkeys and chickens to use as breeding stock.

Livestock Conservancy staff reached thousands of farmers through participation in national and regional conferences and events.

Training the Next Generation


To expand our reach, The Livestock Conservancy has begun capturing video of heritage breed animals, farms and breeders. Many of these have been posted to our website, YouTube, and the Mother Earth News website.

We encourage and support members to help spread the word. Many of our members with animals have conducted workshops, spoken at national events, received local press coverage, or put up a booth at a local fair, all to talk about heritage breeds and the importance of conserving them. Members also acknowledged The Livestock Conservancy’s conservation work in books such as Storey’s Guide to Raising Poultry, Pure Poultry, and Raising Goats Naturally.

This Spring we offered our second “Service to Stewardship” workshop. This two day training program brought veterans from around the country to Warrenton, Virginia to learn about farming with heritage breeds and involved both classroom and on-‐the-‐farm training.

Belgian Colt - RECOVERING Belgians are the most direct descendant of the Great Flemish Horse also known at the “Great Horse” of medieval times.

Master Breeder Program Passing along the wisdom of long-‐time Master Breeders has become an important element in The Livestock Conservancy’s support for breed stewards. In 2013, we focused on:

s Translating the knowledge from Master Breeders into educational materials such as breed profiles, books, and workshops. Over 100 breed abstracts and 21 breed profiles were updated or developed, and “Pick-‐a-‐breed” tables were developed for publication and website

s Conducted a three hour workshop on Management Strategies for Pastured Pork at our National Conference in 2013

s Documented Irish Draught horses, and added to the documentation for Florida Cracker sheep and Galiceno horses.

s Articles written by Livestock Conservancy staffer Jeannette Beranger have appeared in Hobby Farm, Mother Earth News, Backyard Poultry, and Tractor Supply Company’s Out Here magazine, spreading the teachings of Master Breeders to an even larger audience. Beranger also contributed to two 2014 publications in the National Geographic magazines, one in National Geographic Kids on the subject of Poitou donkeys, and one in the flagship magazine on the evolution of horses (People of the Horse, Vol. 225 no. 3, pp. 116-‐117).

s We completed the new book, An Introduction to Heritage Breeds with Storey Publishing.

Rare Breed Discovery Initiative The window for rediscovering “lost” breeds and strains is closing. Between the loss of old-‐time breeders and the continuing threat of urban sprawl, forgotten breeds and their histories may disappear forever. The Conservancy investigates remnant populations, documents them, and works with breed managers to develop breeding plans. We are currently working with a citizens group in Hawaii to document rare sheep and goats that trace their origins to the earliest explorers. These populations will soon be eradicated on the state lands they currently inhabit, so The Livestock Conservancy is supporting residents in their efforts to establish breeding populations in captivity before these breeds are gone forever. Late in the year we were also asked to provide input on the Chirikof Island cattle of Alaska. Chirikof Island is part of the Alaskan Maritime Wildlife Refuge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife has determined that the unchecked growth of the cattle herd is causing overgrazing and damage to the habitat, and has issued a public call for proposals for addressing this issue. The Conservancy expects to be active on both the Hawaiian and Alaskan issues in 2014.

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Partnering continues to be a powerful strategy for The Livestock Conservancy to leverage its impact on conservation. This year we renewed and strengthened our partnerships, most notably with breed associations. Breed association members are already involved with rare breeds and advocates for them, so these partnerships are especially meaningful.

Red Poll Cattle - THREATENED A dual-purpose breed developed in eastern England in the early 1800s

The Livestock Conservancy was very pleased to strengthen its relationship with Seed Savers Exchange. This organization supports conservation of heirloom vegetables and shares many characteristics with The Livestock Conservancy. Seed Savers Exchange has for some years been an important conservator of Ancient White Park Cattle, and feature endangered breeds of poultry on their demonstration farm in Iowa. In 2013 and 2014 the two organizations exchanged conference speakers and collaborated on a heritage poultry project.

We have recently renewed our relationship with Slow Foods USA and their new Executive Director, reviving the Ark of Taste and developing the Slow Meat initiative, the goal of which is to address the barriers to local meat production and marketing.

OTHER KEY PARTNERS

Virginia Tech University

University of Kentucky

USDA SSARE North Carolina Cooperative Extension

Storey Publishing

American Poultry Association

Association of Living History

Cornerstone Morgan Horse Association

Farm and Agricultural Museums

Mississippi State University

Tractor Supply Company

Southern States

Purina eFowl

Nutrena Heritage Foods Radio Network

The Savory Institute

Irish Draught Horse Society

Lippitt Morgan Horse Registry

Mother Earth News

SVF Ford Motor Co.

Univ. Missouri Countryside Organics

This work is made possible through the generous support of the following:

1772 Foundation Anne Hendricks Bass

Foundation Clif Bar Family Foundation DeVlieg Foundation

Diebold Foundation Kohlberg Foundation Lillian Goldman Charitable

Trust North Pond Foundation

Standard & Dorothy Dunn Charitable Trust

Stucki Family Fund William J.J. Gordon Foundation and our Board of Directors and members across the country

Partnerships – We can’t do this alone

Livestock Conservancy PO Box 477, Pittsboro, NC 27312

Executive Director: L. Eric Hallman, Ph.D. Research & Technical Director: Alison Martin, Ph. D. Research & Technical Manager: Jeannette Beranger Operations Director: Angelique Thompson Marketing & Communications Manager: Ryan Walker

Donor Information and Research Manager: Michele Brane Technical Advisor: Phillip Sponenberg, DVM, PhD

Board of Directors

Karen Thornton, Chair v John Metzer, Vice Chair

Richard Bennett, Treasurer v Deborah Burns, Secretary

Donna Carver v Gabrielle Gordon v David Kendall

Mary McConnell v Eric Rapp v Jim Reichardt

Tim Safranski v Elaine Shirley v Bradley Taylor

Beth Tillman v Tom Walvoord v Jay Wells

George Whipple, III v Hank Will, III v Judy Wollen

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