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Host Farms Help Preserve Rare Breeds
A Canadian organization has found a novel way to get more people involved in preserving the genetic diversity of domestic farm animals. The "Host Farm Program" was set up to place growing survival "seed groups" of animals on farms in controlled breeding programs.
The group is looking for qualified farmers and po
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Host Farms Help Preserve Rare Breeds AG WORLD 32-3-21 A Canadian organization has found a novel way to get more people involved in preserving the genetic diversity of domestic farm animals. The "Host Farm Program" was set up to place growing survival "seed groups" of animals on farms in controlled breeding programs.
The group is looking for qualified farmers and points out that while there is no initial outlay of cash to purchase animals, it takes a considerable commitment in time, energy and money to work with the animals. To offset the costs of the program, the host farmer gets to keep the first and every other offspring born.
"It's essentially a crop share arrangement, where Rare Breeds Canada owns the breeding stock," says office manager Jane Mullen of Castleton, Ont. "Host farms benefit by retaining their share of what they produce, and establishing their own herd as a result. As young stock becomes available, we place it onto new host farms, thus spreading out the genetics over a greater geographical area and reducing the risk of genetic loss due to natural disasters and/or disease while continuing to grow breed numbers. Host Farmers are encouraged to retain a portion of the offspring in the breeding program, but are at liberty to keep them or sell them as deemed necessary. Everyone benefits - especially the rare breed. The program is ideal for agri-tourism ventures where the public visits farms to enjoy and learn about animals. These endangered breeds can be a good drawing card to on-farm commercial versions.
Breeds currently available include White Park cattle, Canadienne cattle, Horned Dorset sheep, Lac La Croix Indian Ponies, and Newfoundland Ponies.
"We need people who are committed to increasing the population of these endangered breeds," Mullen says. "Our organization is dependent on membership fees and volunteer labor, so corporate sponsorship is also desperately needed."
She points out that heritage breeds are disappearing at an astounding rate due to specialization in agriculture.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Rare Breeds Canada, Jane Mullen, Office Manager, 1-341 Clarkson Rd, Castleton, Ontario, Canada K0K 1M0 (ph 905 344-7768; rbc@rarebreedscanada.ca; www.rarebreedscanada.ca).
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