Rare Breed Survival Trust

[JP1]

@JP1 what's the story behind those Blue Albion? ( I remember something in Farmers Guardian once about a milking herd).
I, like everyone else maybe, thought they'd all gone due to FMD

The NT were bequeathed a herd and a hill in Cumbria

There were careful paper records of what folks thought had become extinct after F&M. I know of Colin Nankervis in Cornwall with a herd too

 

[I thats it]

Does anyone on here know of any cattle dairy breeds on the watch list, that are actually milked and in need of support. Also ideally available in the North West. We run a commercial dairy herd and would love to support a rare breed by keeping a little handful.

 

[choochter]

Does anyone on here know of any cattle dairy breeds on the watch list, that are actually milked and in need of support. Also ideally available in the North West. We run a commercial dairy herd and would love to support a rare breed by keeping a little handful.

Yes, the Northern Dairy Shorthorn. There is a recent thread on here with contacts. There is also a wide choice of AI bulls.

 

[Woolless]

Does anyone on here know of any cattle dairy breeds on the watch list, that are actually milked and in need of support. Also ideally available in the North West. We run a commercial dairy herd and would love to support a rare breed by keeping a little handful.

Dairy Shorthorn original population and Northern Dairy Shorthorn are classified as critical on the watchlist. I would have to admit that I don't know the difference but the RBST I'm sure would help you out.

 

[SLA]

There’s also dual purpose breeds like the Red Poll that aren’t particularly rare any more but have only a small number of dairy herds

 

[choochter]

here's the thread
https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/northern-dairy-shorthorn.264878/

 

[Woolless]

There’s also dual purpose breeds like the Red Poll that aren’t particularly rare any more but have only a small number of dairy herds

Red Polls have always caught my eye when I've seen them. I have a theory that a Hereford X Red Poll would make a great suckled cow.

 

[Treg]

Does anyone on here know of any cattle dairy breeds on the watch list, that are actually milked and in need of support. Also ideally available in the North West. We run a commercial dairy herd and would love to support a rare breed by keeping a little handful.

Brilliant, good for you.
I keep saying to some of the larger farms just keep a handful of rare breeds to help keep them going & you mite be surprised how well they do.
Dairy Shorthorn 100% ( One of the biggest herds is in Cornwall but no longer milked due to owners ill health, I believe RBST are taking embryos & Prince Charles has bought a couple of heifers from there.
Northern Dairy Shorthorn .
Gloucester .
There's a small herd of whitebred Shorthorns being milked in the far West of Cornwall. (Well worth a visit).
Blue Albion , I'm sure I've seen something about there's still a herd of these milking?

I started a Beef Shorthorn herd when their numbers had dropped to 250 females, have really enjoyed the experience & brilliant that we're up to something like 3000 breeding females .
My haulier said to me when I first bought the Beef Shorthorns " what the ell are you gonna do with them" , recently he has said to me " how did you know it would work out with them?"
I looked at a few and thought they would fit my system (Organic , grass fed ) & went for it.

 

[Old Tip]

Does anyone on here know of any cattle dairy breeds on the watch list, that are actually milked and in need of support. Also ideally available in the North West. We run a commercial dairy herd and would love to support a rare breed by keeping a little handful.

I would go for the original Dairy Shorthorn or the Blue Albion, if you send me a pm I can put you in touch with someone who can both source stock and show you some in commercial herds. They may even supply you with stock free of charge in exchange for data on milking performance etc.

 

[SLA]

Red Polls have always caught my eye when I've seen them. I have a theory that a Hereford X Red Poll would make a great suckled cow.

Think most things cross Red Poll would make a good suckler cow hardy, thrifty and milky.
But I personally think that’s true of all our native breeds, excellent at converting grass into milk and meat.

 

[pipkins]

I've just had a dawning realisation- the Lop focus is nothing at all to do with the Eustice connection is it...?

 

[Old Tip]

Well folks hope you’ve all voted that can, not long to the day of reckoning now, I won’t make false promises and throw the cash around like some folk but if I do get in I will do my best to help the organisation

 

[delilah]

Well folks hope you’ve all voted that can, not long to the day of reckoning now, I won’t make false promises and throw the cash around like some folk but if I do get in I will do my best to help the organisation

cost me two stamps, they made you send the voting slip to one address and the proxy vote thing to another, what's all that about then, sure we've not had to that before ? If it was to stop the voting slip being seen by anyone at rbst then why not just send both bits of paper to the independent address ? First action for you, sort that out for next year

 

[matthew]

I've just had a dawning realisation- the Lop focus is nothing at all to do with the Eustice connection is it...?

Think a brother of the MP Eustace has pigs.

 

[pipkins]

Think a brother of the MP Eustace has pigs.

Yes he does- and they are British Lops (very good ones too, I've no axe to grind with them at all). But you can see some in the RBST might think its a good idea to select the focus of a major PR campaign that is going to grab the interest and by extension support of Mr Eustice MP? Cynical, me?

 

[Old Tip]

Maybe, but not a bad idea to have a good relationship with the person who is going to be largely responsible for the future of agriculture in this country

 

[Sharpy]

When God designed the horse he should have made their tendons (the thing that joins the muscle of the 'forearm' down the back of the cannon bone and the fetlock to the foot) a bit stronger. It's the thing that gets strained/damaged with extreme work (e.g. racing, eventing etc)

The traditional way of treating these injuries was firing - applying hot irons (with either pins or bars) to the tendons. The idea behind it is that the scar tissue formed makes them stronger. It was banned here for a while but all the expensive racehorses went to Ireland to be done so I think it can be done here again (not had any horses here for a long while ,so I'd stand to be corrected on that).

Missed this reply at the time, thank you, every day is a school day!

 

[steveR]

Red Polls have always caught my eye when I've seen them. I have a theory that a Hereford X Red Poll would make a great suckled cow.

I'll tell you in 20 months time....

 

[SLA]

I'll tell you in 20 months time....

This is ours, Red Poll x trad hereford

 

[Woolless]

I'll tell you in 20 months time....

Make sure that you do!