The Livestock Conservancy
Founded | 1977 |
---|---|
ID# 03 0270 281 | |
Focus | Rare breed livestock preservation |
Location | |
Area served | United States |
Members | 3,000[1] |
Key people |
|
Website | livestockconservancy |
Formerly called | American Minor Breeds Conservancy, American Livestock Breeds Conservancy |
The Livestock Conservancy, formerly known as the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) and prior to that, the American Minor Breeds Conservancy, is a
The Livestock Conservancy maintains a conservation priority list that divides endangered breeds of horses, asses, sheep, goats, cattle, rabbits, pigs and poultry into five categories based on population numbers and historical interest. The organization has published several books, and works with breed registries and other groups on several aspects of breed preservation, including genetic testing, historical documentation, animal rescue and marketing. Preservation of genetic material is of special interest to the Conservancy, and for a period of time it maintained a gene bank that was later transferred to the United States Department of Agriculture. It has also developed and published several heritage definitions, including parameters for heritage breeds of cattle and poultry.
In large part due to the efforts of the organization,
History and organization
In the 1960s and 1970s, American
The Livestock Conservancy is headquartered in
According to its literature, the Livestock Conservancy is funded by grants, sales of publications and promotional materials, membership dues and public donations.[1] Publications sold include books on conservation and genetics, livestock husbandry, farming operations and breed guides.[17] In the 1998 fiscal year, the organization claimed slightly over US$308,000 in income, coming mainly from public donations and membership dues, but also including service revenue, investment income and sales of goods.[18] By 2009, this amount had jumped to slightly more than US$440,000, mainly from donations, grants and service revenue, but also including investment income.[19] In 1998, the organization claimed slightly over US$288,000 in expenses, allocated mainly to program services, but with just under US$30,000 stemming from management, fundraising and general expenses.[18] By 2009, expenses stood at almost US$490,000, spent mostly on employee salaries, benefits and other compensation (which includes program service expenses), but with almost US$150,000 stemming from management, fundraising and general expenses.[19] The organization claims around 3,000 members as of 2023, a number up from 2,300 in 1989.[3] It operates with a staff of eleven, headed by an executive director,[20] and a nineteen-member board of directors.[21]
General programs
The preservation of various pure breeds and strains, including some that are rare today, was once undertaken in North America in large part by large agriculture-focused colleges and universities. However, many of these institutions have changed their focus to commercial or crossbred strains, with many herds being sent to slaughter. The Livestock Conservancy and Rare Breeds Canada intervened in some of these cases, leading to the survival and preservation of some gene stocks. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) participates in livestock preservation mainly through technology-based approaches such as gene mapping and germplasm (genetic material) storage. However, although the storage of genetic material is a useful technique in the preservation of rare breeds, it cannot preserve the entire range of genetic diversity within even an individual breed, and stored material cannot react and adapt to environmental or biological changes as live animal populations can. The US federal government rarely supports rare breed live animal population conservation, and while agricultural subsidies were once seen more than they are in present times, they were never focused on individual breeds. The Livestock Conservancy has been instrumental in preserving live populations of many rare livestock breeds in the US.[22]
In the 1980s, the Conservancy began a gene bank designed to preserve the genetic material of rare breeds. After collecting genetic material from over a dozen rare breeds, the bank was transferred to the USDA
In 2004, the Livestock Conservancy entered a partnership with
Heritage breeds
The Livestock Conservancy has released three definitions of heritage breeds, pertaining to turkeys, chickens and cattle. Heritage turkeys are defined by the organization as breeds that live longer, grow slower and can mate naturally, with the latter requirement being one of the most important as it is not met by many industrially grown, mass-produced breeds.[32] In 2009, a definition for heritage chickens was released that is similar to the one for turkeys – breeds are required to be considered "standard" by the American Poultry Association, be long-lived and slow-growing, and able to mate naturally. The latter is less of a concern in chickens than in turkeys, as artificial insemination has not progressed as far in the development of industrial chicken farming.[33] In late 2010, the Conservancy released a definition of "heritage cattle", to follow their earlier heritage turkey description. Requirements for heritage cattle breeds include having a long history in the US, being purebred, and being a true genetic breed. Specifications for heritage milk and beef, as well as products made from them, were also released with the definition.[34]
As of 2010, the Conservancy was undertaking several programs to help breeders and the public understand the need for and the way to preserve heritage breeds. As the number of expert livestock breeders continues to dwindle, the Master Breeders' Apprentice Program aims to supplement their number by educating competent and interested members of the public. Through the Breed Rescue and Conservation Acquisition Program, the organization works with breeders and breed registries to begin and sustain conservation programs for rare livestock breeds. The Southeastern Livestock Breed Initiative aims to expand and reintroduce rare breeds from the American southeast, combining traditional breeds with low-impact farming (agriculture that has a lesser impact on the environment than high-intensity commercial farming) to assist in restarting the small, niche market farming that once existed in the area.[35] In 2014, the Conservancy published the book An Introduction to Heritage Breeds describing conserving and care of animals under the purview of the organization, detailing each breed's specific needs and characteristics.[36]
Conservation Priority List
The Conservation Priority List (CPL) is the Conservancy's list of breeds for which conservation is a priority. Published annually, the list is used as the foundation for all conservation work done by the organization. Each year, it gathers population data on all breeds of livestock, including registration data and, for poultry, census numbers gathered from members, hatcheries and breeders.[37] This data is then used to divide breeds into five categories: critical, threatened, watch, recovering and study. Breeds are placed in the first three categories based on annual registrations with breed registries in the United States and estimated global populations.
Critical | Threatened | Watch | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Livestock | Annual registrations in US | below 200 | below 1,000 | below 2,500 |
Global population | below 2,000 | below 5,000 | below 10,000 | |
Poultry | Annual registrations in US | below 500, 5 or fewer flocks | below 1,000, 7 or fewer flocks | below 5,000, 10 or fewer flocks |
Global population | below 1,000 | below 5,000 | below 10,000 | |
Rabbits | Annual registrations in US | below 50 | below 100 | below 200 |
Global population | below 500 | below 1,000 | below 2,000 |
Recovering breeds are those that have exceeded the numbers needed for the watch category but that the organization still wishes to monitor. Breeds in the study category lack genetic or historical documentation but are still considered to be of genetic interest. Population numbers may be lacking on these breeds, or proof that they are a true breed, instead of a type or non-true-breeding cross.[39]
As of 2011, there are 33 horse breeds on the equine CPL, comprising seventeen in the critical category, seven in the threatened, five in the watch, three in the recovering and one in study. There are also three breeds of asses, one in each of the critical, threatened and recovering categories.[40] On the CPL for all other livestock species there are 10 pig breeds: seven in the critical category, one threatened, one watched, and one in the study. The 19 cattle breeds listed include eight in the critical category, two in the threatened, three in the watch, five recovering and one in the study. The list contains 23 sheep breeds: five in the critical category, six in the threatened, three in the watch, eight in the recovering and one in the study. Of seven goat breeds listed, two are in the critical category, two in the watch, two recovering and one in the study. Finally, there are 11 rabbit breeds listed on the CPL: three in the critical category, three threatened, and five in the watch.[39]
The organization's poultry conservation list includes chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys. As of 2011 there are 54 chicken breeds on the CPL: 12 in the critical category, 12 in the threatened, 18 in the watch, 7 in the recovering and 5 in the study. For ducks there were fourteen breeds, of which six were considered critical, two threatened, four watch and two study. There were 12 breeds of geese: six in the critical category, one in threatened, three in watch and two study. For turkeys there were 13 breeds, including five considered critical, two threatened, five watch and one study. Any naturally mating, non-standard turkey breed is also of interest to the organization.[41]
Breed programs
Equine breeds, such as the
Horses
In 2006, the Livestock Conservancy began investigating the
Sheep and goats
In December 1987, the Conservancy performed one of its first breed rescues when it removed a viable population of Santa Cruz sheep from Santa Cruz Island. The sheep were in danger of being eradicated by The Nature Conservancy, which was working to save indigenous vegetation that the breed used as food. The first twelve lambs were removed from the island in 1988, with further animals brought to the mainland in 1991. The population now stands at 125 animals and is considered an important genetic resource due to its island heritage, which kept it isolated from other breeds and forced it to adapt to adverse conditions.[12][48]
Beginning in the early 1990s, the Conservancy worked to preserve the
Pigs
In the course of its breed surveys and monitoring, the Conservancy has found significant changes in the populations of several swine breeds. The
The Conservancy has been involved with the
In November 2008, the Conservancy started the Rare Breed Swine Initiative, which, in cooperation with other organizations, assists in training breeders and cultivating the rare breed pig market. The three main foci of the initiative are marketing breeding stock and products, conserving bloodlines and supporting breed associations. As of 2010, proposals were in place for the funding of a study of porcine genetics, including variability and relationships among breeds, with the aims of maintaining genetic variability among rare pig breeds and releasing a definition of heritage pork.[53]
Poultry
A breeding program for Buckeye chickens was developed in 2005 by staff members, focusing on using selective breeding to improve the breed and expand its numbers. In 2011, the Buckeye was able to be moved from "critical" status to "threatened", based on a 2010 census that found almost 2,500 birds. The program has since become the template for similar programs focusing on the preservation of other rare chicken breeds.[12][54]
Heritage turkey breeds have been a focus for the organization since 1997, when a survey showed only 1,335 breeding stock birds of all breeds. A study conducted by the Conservancy and Virginia Tech concluded that heritage turkey breeds had stronger immune systems than those breeds typically used by industrial growers, and as such were more likely to survive disease epidemics. This study and other programs increased awareness of heritage turkey breeds and by 2003 the breeding population stood at 4,275 turkeys of all breeds. By 2007 this had grown to more than 10,000 birds and 17 breeds were no longer considered to be almost extinct.[52] As of 2010, the number is estimated to be close to 15,000.[32]
In 2008 the Conservancy partnered with
References
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- ^ a b Bell, Ned (May 28, 1989). "They put stock in traditional breeds". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
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External links