We are losing our biodiversity.
Ok, sure, you are intelligent and you have heard various types of animals and perhaps native plants are disappearing. I am sure polar bears, tigers and other large, mammals come to mind. But did you know we are losing our food biodiversity?
What has taken us 12,000 years to create, we are forgetting in place of seeds from multinationals and a handful of livestock animals that we are relying upon across the globe regardless of local conditions.
Just like the one size fits all garment, it works but it is not the best fit for a given individual.
No, I’m not talking about designer food. Well, perhaps I am in a way. However, the designer was your average farmer and his neighbor selecting the best traits over a succession of generations.
Did you know there is livestock, not just crops that have acclimated to certain conditions? There are certain cows that do well in heat. Others do well on poor forage. These types of breeds are referred to as landrace. They have evolved, via the artificial selection process of breeders, by selecting favorable traits for that given climate and purpose.
I just recently learned that there is a landrace breed of dairy cows from Vermont called the Randall Linebacks. This breed almost went extinct in the 1980s due to the fact that the only herd left was on a single dairy farm. They are the most endangered breed of cow in the United States.
Needless to say, I have fallen in love with this breed. My husband is duly worried that I will soon have a cow added to my collection of critters.
So how are Randalls different from the Holsteins or Jerseys we so often see on dairy farms? Besides their coloring, these cows are ideally acclimated to New England’s cooler/cold weather.
Another admirable feature is they subsist on a diet of grass forage. No grain. Wow, that is my kind of cow. For a farmer this is like gold. You don’t have to pay the extra cost of grain which Holsteins and Jerseys need. This is an added bonus to the environment and to us. The grain doesn’t need to be raised for the cows, it can directly feed people, nor does the grain need to be shipped from out west to a farm in New England.
Individuals who have recently been raising Randalls indicate that their milk production is acceptable. They produce approximately 4 gallons of milk a day at their peak which for a family cow or a small producer in manageable. While this is less than half as much as a Holstein or Jersey, this breed is smaller, eats less and eats more economically.
The last trait is ease of birthing. This breed does not require any veterinary intervention at birth. My understanding is there are a few breeds out there that do but I am not a dairy farmer. Since cows only produce milk for 10 or 11 months after giving birth, calving is a regular event on farms. Even my friend’s small farm with 5 cows heralds in the birth of two to four calves each year. Breeds which do not require emergency, middle of the night visits from the vet are advantageous since they are less costly.
Thanks to a small handful of individuals this breed did not pass into extinction and their numbers on the rise. But how many breeds have we lost? What are we in peril of losing? If you are considering raising farm animals, do your research. Is there a breed which is better suited for your particular area? Is there a farmer or hobbyist with a breed which is hardier locally than the ubiquitous breeds of cow, sheep, goat, chicken or duck? If so, consider the lesser known regional breed. You will be helping to save a key to our food security and a piece of time.
