What Are Heritage Breeds? And Why Are They So Important?

Extinction isn’t something most people think about regarding farm animals. Yet, just like wild animals, livestock breeds are threatened – with some near extinction. As farming methods have changed over time, so have the animals themselves. Unfortunately, industry modernization means that select heritage livestock breeds are becoming part of the past.

So what are heritage breeds anyway? Well, in essence, they’re pure livestock breeds that predate the rise of industrial agriculture. Picture the animals that once roamed family farms back three, four and even five generations ago. As The Livestock Project at Iowa State University explains, traditional livestock breeds were bred to maintain key genetic traits that helped the animals adapt to their environment, farming practices and overall purposes. Natural selection was at the forefront.

Consumer demand steadily grew, and today, the average American annually consumes 224.6 pounds of meat. Total farm production practically tripled between 1948 and 2017. The USDA explains that innovations in animal and crop genetics, chemicals, equipment and farm organization collectively enabled significant growth of farm output. The industry adopted breeding practices of more uniform animals that could produce more meat, eggs and milk – and do so faster.

See more: 6 Cattle Breeds You May Not Be Familiar With

Why Are Heritage Breed Livestock Important?

More than 180 breeds across 11 species of farm animals are in danger of extinction, according to The Livestock Conservancy’s 2024 data. These breeds include cattle, donkeys, goats, horses, pigs, rabbits, sheep, chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys.

“Many of these endangered breeds contain traits carefully developed over hundreds of years,” explains Dr. Judy Brummer, interim executive director of The Livestock Conservancy. Today, heritage breeds serve as primary reservoirs of the genetic diversity found within most domesticated species of animals. Up to 50% of a breed’s biodiversity is found nowhere else within the species.”

Biodiversity really matters. About three-quarters of the world’s food supply draws on just 12 crops and five livestock species, according to the United Nations.

“Saving these breeds is vital to meeting today’s sustainability challenges and ensuring food security for the future,” Brummer says.

The call-to-action messaging is starting to resonate with both farmers and consumers. In fact, there’s even a bit of a resurgence among today’s farmers in employing the lessons learned by previous generations – sort of the “what’s old is new again” philosophy. Nurturing heritage breed livestock may be a solution to safeguard the desirable adaptability traits that modern breeds have lost due to intensive selective breeding.

Heritage breed livestock are known to:

• better adapt to local environments and/or climate change
• have a foraging ability that bolsters sustainable farming
• have excellent fertility
• be more resistant to disease
• not have special and/or altered dietary needs
• attack a niche market interested in characteristics like flavor, legacy, quality and rarity

See more: 5 Sheep Breeds You May Not Be Familiar With

​Heritage Breed Livestock On The Brink

To conserve, protect and promote rare agricultural breeds, The Livestock Conservancy publishes an annual Conservation Priority List with at-risk breeds classified as: Critical, Threatened, Watch or Recovering.

The Texas Longhorn is synonymous with cattle ranching. Yet this heritage livestock tops the list of North American breeds deemed as “critical.” That ranking denotes there are fewer than 200 in the United States and less than 2,000 worldwide. Of course, the Texas Longhorns are accompanied on the list by many. Other critically endangered breeds include the Milking Devon (cattle), the San Clemente Island (goat), the Large Black Pig and the Florida Cracker (sheep), to name a few.

Thanks to agriculturists and conservationists stepping up, some heritage breeds have increased in populations with jeopardy of extinction waning. Last year, for example, three turkey breeds – Black, Royal Palm and Slate – benefited from customer demand via holiday market sales. And with its unique trait of falling aside, the fainting goat downgraded its endangered status to recovering.

Some farms and ranchers nationwide are promoting their commitment to raising heritage livestock to support our agriculture industry and its history. This includes Old Crowe Farm in Virginia (American Guinea hogs, Dexter cattle, Tennessee fainting goats); Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm in Florida (Longhorn cattle, Red Wattle pigs, Australorp chickens, Slate/Bronze/Royal Palm turkeys); Stony Kill Farm in New York (American Milking Devon cows, Tunis sheep, Dominique chickens); and Whispering Hills Farm in Oregon (Polled Shorthorn cattle), among others.

See more: 5 Goat Breeds You May Not Be Familiar With

Heritage Breed Examples

Heritage breeds can only ward off extinction through continued interest in raising them. Farmers interested in heritage breed livestock should explore microgrant opportunities provided by The Livestock Conservatory. And consumers eager to get a taste of the past may investigate niche delivery companies. Heritage Foods USA, for instance, sells and ships heritage products nationwide.

In the meantime, here’s a glimpse at some heritage breed livestock:

Bourbon Red Turkey: The namesake of this turkey stems from its home in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Though its meat is flavorful, the Bourbon Turkey population is now fewer than 2,500 registrations in the U.S.

Cotton Patch Goose: These medium-sized geese were once tasked with weeding cotton and corn fields, thus earning their namesake. Once a great producer of tasty eggs and meat, this threatened heritage breed has dropped to less than 1,000 in the U.S.

Navajo-Churro Sheep: These highly adaptable animals provide quality wool. The lean meat has a light flavor. And Navajo-Churro sheep also produce milk with a high cream percentage, making it ideal for dairy as well as soap products.

New Hampshire Chicken: While deemed a heritage breed, the New Hampshire Chicken only dates back about a century. Though this dual-purpose chicken can provide quality eggs and meat, it’s a threatened species.

Ossabaw Island Hog: This now critically endangered breed, which has Spanish roots, has a unique adaptability to heat and humidity. Its meat is dark with a unique texture like that of jamón ibérico.

Randall Lineback Cattle: This heritage breed was once quite prevalent, though its numbers dwindled as farmers crossbred the animals with Holsteins. The Livestock Conservatory says that Linebacks were used for dairy and beef production and as oxen. Unfortunately, they are now critically endangered.

Red Wattle Hog: The Red Wattle Hog Association, founded in 2001, helps support the protection of this threatened breed. The organization describes the pork product as “well-marbled, flavorful meat that has been described as similar to beef.”

Tamworth Pig: This pig was first imported to North America in the 1800s. This breed is most celebrated for its delicious bacon.