I’ve been learning more about heritage livestock and poultry through Small Farm Canada’s association with Heritage Livestock Canada. The knowledge brings realization of the service that heritage breeders and farmers provide to the industry. As well as history, they keep the genetics alive.
Our livestock and poultry food system depends on a handful of breeds to feed it at present, those that emphasize production efficiency. Farmers are dealing with increasing pressures including climate change and are up against a rock and a hard place with their production success often depending on the weather.
Genetic traits such as easy lambing or calving, greater resistance to parasites and disease, mothering ability, hardiness, ability to thrive on relatively poor diets, all could be a key to future challenges. The Berkshire hog as an example is a small breed but more resilient and self-sufficient than most. The Canadian horse is known for its great strength and endurance, resilience, intelligence, and good temper - a horse breed full of potential. The Norfolk Horn sheep is lightly built and very hardy, but due to horns does better on pasture than in a barn. All have valuable traits to preserve.
Preservation and cultivation of our heritage breeds is a living and breathing history, something to touch and feel and even great for experiential learning. Young and old, urban and rural, as the vast majority move away from farm living, other global challenges may be more apparent. Such as wild species at risk and the devastating losses to society when a wild species is driven to extinction.
Agriculture has a similar paradigm striving to find a voice and societal support for both endangered plants and animals. Efforts like seed libraries, Seeds of Diversity, Heritage Livestock Canada and heritage breeders, are taking up the challenge, and deserve recognition and support for maintaining and encouraging genetic diversity in crops and livestock. The very ones that we depend on for sustenance.
For more information about heritage livestock and poultry see: https://heritagelivestock.net/