Guest blog entry by Shayla Carey
Perhaps you’ve noticed the new bovine additions to our pasture. They’re named Abby and Patrick and they are Randall Lineback cattle, a critically endangered breed from Vermont. On this, Endangered Species Day, I’d like to highlight this type of cattle.
What makes them unique among other linebacks is that they
are what the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy calls a “landrace,” which
are “local populations of animals that are consistent enough to be considered breeds,
but are more variable in appearance than are standardized breeds.” According to the Randall Cattle Registry, the
breed started with the landrace hill cattle of New England, of which a large
herd was kept by the Randall family in Vermont.
Their herd was bred in isolation on this farm for eighty years until
Everett Randall died in 1985 and his widow could not take care of them
anymore. The herd was sold off and many
of the cattle were slaughtered. Some
were saved, though, thanks to the efforts of Robert Gear, Cynthia Creech and
Philip B. & Dianne Lang, and the total breeding population went from
roughly 20 to around 200 today. Careful
registry and a solid breeding plan have “gradually watered down the very tight
genetics” of the original herd that came to Cynthia, thus ensuring a more
stable breeding population. Now,
according to her website, she has enough heifers and cows to be able to sell
them to other farmers, including the Langs, and has sold them to farms in
Connecticut, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Rhode Island, North Carolina, New
Jersey, Massachusetts, and Ontario.
Patrick and Abby are not registered, though we believe they came from
Maine.
The Randalls are a dual purpose breed, more suited to milk
production but able to be trained as oxen.
They are all horned and can be identified not only by the characteristic
line down their backs, but by black, blue/black, and sometimes red blotches and
spots over their bodies. Abby has eye
rings, too—another characteristic of the breed.
They have a medium sized build and are more suited to the cool summers
of New England than the hot climates of the South, as Cynthia experienced at
her first farm in Tennessee (read her story here—it’s very
interesting).
Our previous herd, of which Lad is the only one left, were
American Linebacks. They are related to
the Randalls, but their genetics are more watered down with Holsteins and other
modern breeds than are Randalls. It’s a
treat to come and see Patrick and Abby, as they are more in keeping with the
type of cattle one would have seen in America’s early history than Lad and his
family were.
Patrick and Abby should do well at Landis Valley and we love
having them here. Click here to see Patrick & Abby frolicking in their new home with Lad.
Meet new kids on the block - Patrick and Abbie, running around with Lad. They just arrived today and we are all enjoying their liveliness. Patrick and Abbie are Randall cattle - a heritage breed. To learn more about the breed, visit http://www.randallcattleregistry.org
Posted by Landis Valley Museum on Thursday, April 2, 2015
