So what exactly defines conservation? It’s viewing a heritage livestock breed or an heirloom seed as a genetic resource and managing those resources in a way that ensures our future. Our mission as conservationalists is to maintain the original genetic identity through selection criteria that’s consistent to the breed or seed’s history. In livestock, this entails the philosophy that a herd is more important than one individual, no matter how ‘nice’ that particular animal may be. A steward is always looking to the good of the herd and focuses on genetic diversity within the herd. This means a steward realizes the importance of restricting the use of just one superior representation of the breed so that a sound animal that might be lacking some in performance or appearance (ie, a mediocre color) will have genetic representation within the herd or flock. It also means keeping or accessing through artificial insemination a larger group of males for breeding than most breeders do.
Please stay tuned for future blogs concerning how we select animals and manage our breeding programs on our farm.