Our Mission to Save Heritage Breeds

Would you like to do your part to help save the world, or one small, vital piece of it? At Broad River Pastures, our mission is to raise and promote heritage livestock breeds and produce nutrient-dense foods. You can help us continue our work through this campaign!

I am a 60 year-young retired elementary teacher who left metropolitan Atlanta three years ago with my husband, Jon, to make a difference in a wider world. With no prior farming experience, we took on 11 acres of land in a rural community and set out to leave it better than we found it. We use permaculture principles and eco-farming as guides, along with biodynamics. What these all have in common are ways to work with nature, rather than against it. We utilize our 8 acres of pasture to raise pastured lambs, pigs, and poultry layers. In addition, we have a barn to raise meat rabbits. Heritage animals fit our farming model perfectly, and we believe that they are worth saving. More about our farm can be found here http://broadriverpastures.com

Only 15 mammal and bird species make up over 90% of livestock production in the United States. At least 60 breeds of cattle, goats, horses, pigs, and poultry have been lost since 2002. One breed is being lost each month! The good news is that in the United States, no livestock breed has become extinct since 1985. This is due to a small group of dedicated family farmers who have made concerted efforts to preserve these wonderful breeds. At Broad River Pastures, we raise American heritage breeds that are adapted to outdoor rearing and pastured feeding routines. They also thrive with little need for medical intervention, antibiotics, or vaccinations. We believe that we must do our part to save these critically endangered animals for our children and our grandchildren to enjoy. You can learn more about heritage breeds on facebook at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/HelpSaveHeritageLivestockWithBroadRiverPastures?ref=hl

What we Need and What you Get

Guinea Hogs!
With your help, we plan to add the critically endangered Guinea Hog to our operations. Contributions will go to purchase our starter herd, housing and fencing, registration, and transportation to and from several farms to get the most diverse herd possible. If we only fund 30% of our project, all of the funds will go to the pig project. Guinea Hogs are well adapted to the Southeast and were the typical homestead hog from Thomas Jefferson’s day to about 1900. They almost became extinct but are coming back with the help of dedicated farmers. They require very little grain, so are the perfect recyclers and can continue producing pork in times that grain is scarce or too high priced in the event of a future shortage.

Gulf Coast Native Sheep
Our critically endangered heritage Gulf Coast sheep are in need of a shed for dry hay storage, for improved hay feeders, for floors on their portable shade to help with lambing and keeping feet dry, and for an additional sheep shelter to accommodate increasing numbers. The Gulf Coast sheep have been acclimated to the hot, humid conditions in the Gulf Coast for 500 years. They are hardy and resistant to parasites and hoof problems that plague sheep and goats in hot, wet climates. This makes them ideal for Northeast Georgia. They are valued for their delicious meat and their soft, fine wool.

American and Silver Fox Rabbits
With the recent rains, we’ve discovered drainage issues in our rabbit barns. Wet floors create anaerobic conditions that are unhealthy for rabbits and their human caretakers. We also need an automated watering system to reduce time spent in the barn, and some accessories and cages need replacing.

Unique Perks

We have some fantastic perks that you will not find anywhere else! Most of them are under $50, so you can buy them for the whole family or start your holiday and birthday shopping now!  My favorite perks include our Guinea Hog logo, but you can also get rare wool fiber, heritage livestock, farm-themed note cares, unique dog treats, and more! Please note: We’re not revealing all of our perks in week one of the campaign. We’ll be adding more as the campaign unfolds. So stay in touch and see if you want to come back for more!

Stretch Goals

We can take care of all the needs mentioned above by funding our goal at 100%. However, if we exceed our goal, there is more to do. If we can double our funding, we can develop our heritage duck pond to include a filtering system and bog pond for overflow and wildlife preservation. We can also build a portable farrowing hut for the sows to use on pasture, provide feed storage closer to the rabbit barn, and build a pole barn roof structure for our holding pen area to decrease stress on livestock when we are managing health checks. And if we can triple the goal, we could purchase a used farm truck for hauling hay, loading livestock, and numerous other tasks related to livestock care. We had to trade in our last farm truck to buy a non-farm business vehicle. In addition to the used truck we could expand the pig operation into a wooded part of the property with additional permanent fencing and water irrigation. Check the campaign often to see when we meet our original goal and when we start working on a stretch goal. Our use of funds will be displayed on a special page on our website.

Make a Difference!

Your contribution will truly make a difference to our operations, to these wonderful heritage breeds, to the ecology of our farm, and to future generations. Every contribution will be acknowledged with gratitude, and no amount is too small or too great for us to humbly accept. Every animal born on pasture has the opportunity to enjoy expressing its animal nature in a healthy environment. We save only the very best examples of each breed to impart their genes for the future. By removing animals from the breeding program for nutrient-dense meat, we contribute to our health and also improve the best qualities of the breed. It’s a win-win!