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Wait a second, you thought Seed Savers Exchange only stewarded seeds? Think again!
Heritage Farm is menage to two herds of Ancient White Park cattle , wish for by Seed Savers Exchange . These inheritance moo-cow are part of an on-going preservation exploit , but they also work hard to maintain Heritage Farm by
Increasing the numbers and conserving the transmitted variety of the Ancient White Park Bos taurus breed is an important part of Seed Savers Exchange ’s foreign mission .
The ancestors of our Ancient White Park Bos taurus have cast the British Isles for centuries . infest Romans memorialise the cattle in 39 CE , but Druids and Celts mentioned the cows in their other epic long before the Romans invaded . Descriptions of their white colour and alone features crop up periodically in historic document .
A mother Ancient White Park cow and her calf
The island - based origin of this breed isolated the cattle from other strain , preserving its inherited diverseness and time value . aside from the British Isles isolating the Ancient White Park cows from other breeds , modified human activity over the centuries has also played a part in the breed ’s evolution . Druid bred the cattle for ceremonial purpose , and in the centuries that followed the herds were only used for trophy hunting .
Since world historically did not practice this cattle breed for farming purposes , the herds preserve their isolation from other breeds . According to stock typewriting , a singular genetic difference exists between the Ancient White Park kine and all other domesticate cattle stock .
In 1225 , King Henry III go past legislation to enclose several existing“deer parks”which included herds of Ancient White Park Bos taurus . Most herds continue to roam the British Isles freely . However , as their habitat bit by bit reduced , the cattle outside of these Mungo Park disappeared , forget only the “ park ” cows .
A mother Ancient White Park cow and her calf
How did Ancient White Park cows get to Seed Savers Exchange ? Well , it ’s kind of a complicated story .
Ancient White Park oxen came to North America from the United Kingdom during World War II to protect the strain from the German intrusion . The despatch , which included five cows and one bull , was sent first to the Toronto Zoo , then moved to the Bronx Zoo .
Due to space restrictions , the small herd was relocated to the King Ranch in Texas until the 1980s . From there , the herd relocated to Polk City , Iowa , and then was dispersed to several conservators in the United States and Canada — including Seed Savers Exchange ’s Heritage Farm in 1988 .
Ancient White Park Cattle are genetically distinct from other breeds
When Ancient White Park cattle came to Heritage Farm , the stock was “ critically queer . ” In 2012 , the Livestock Conservancy upgrade the stock ’s condition from ‘ “ critical ” to “ threatened . ” Although this betterment is impactful , Ancient White Park cattle remain endangered . “ Threatened ” species number few than 5,000 globally , with fewer than 1,000 one-year registrants in the United States .
The farm presently has over 80 animals across two herd : A herd and B herd . The cattle are separated into two ruck to maintain genetic multifariousness and to better text file lineage and worthy traits .
Rather than breeding Ancient White Park cows to get larger , more profitable animals , Seed Savers Exchange ’s destination , in line with its mission , is to increase universe and preserve the breed ’s specific traits .
Ancient White Park Cattle graze the fields at Heritage Farm
Ancient White Park cattle have special strong-arm and behavioral traits that define the stock . The cattle are acrobatic and lean in appearance , but the oxen can graze in sizing from 1,000 - 1,200 pounds when mature , with bulls reaching between 1,500 - 1,800 pounds .
The cattle have smuggled - tipped horns which twist in a lyre shape on cows . pig can develop widely curved U - shape horns . The breed is best cognize for its distinctive white coating with colored “ point ” on the their ears , eye rims , muzzle , and hooves .
These point are commonly calamitous in colour , but some animals ’ points have a reddish colouring . Cattle are often pure white-hot and have dark peel , with the possibility of black or profane speckles scattered across their fur . Some cattle are born with a recessionary black - coat trait . These off - types indicate secure genetic diverseness .
There are two herds of cattle kept at Heritage Farm
In spring of 2024 , a sura with red ink was born at Heritage Farm . This is an indication of high genic diverseness among the ruck . This calf is shown in the photo below in the back left among other very young calves .
Ancient White Park cattle are unfearing and adaptive . They are fertile and fantabulous grazers . The kine at Heritage Farm are gentle , but can become aggressive in disposition , especially to protect immature calves .
Seed Savers Exchange , settle just outside of Decorah , Iowa , is unfastened to visitors . At Heritage Farm , visitant can take a tour of the grounds to see these beautiful creature up closely . Or , control out these video to see the kine in action !
A beautiful cow shows off the black “points” on her fur
3094 North Winn RoadDecorah , Iowa 52101(563 ) 382 - 5990
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Seed Savers Exchange is a tax - exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the saving of heirloom seeds .
A young calf with black points
A cow with recessive black and blue speckles
A cow with recessive reddish points
Genetic diversity among calves born in 2024, including a calf with red points.
