May 10 Deadline for Exhibitors
for
Garfield Farm Museum’s Rare Breeds Show May 19
CAMPTON HILLS, IL: Owners of rare breeds of livestock and
poultry need to register by May 10 to participate in the 33rd
Annual Rare Breeds Show on Sunday May 19 from 11 am until 4
pm. This is the longest running show in the Midwest that has
featured rare breeds of farm and working animals. Members of
the national organization, the Livestock Conservancy have
participated every year.
What has taken centuries of breeding to produce is now in
danger of disappearing from the face of the earth as the
current era emphasizes just one or two breeds of anyone animal
for meeting mass market needs. Preserving the historic genetic
lines of various breeds is like saving money for a rainy day.
Invariably things change as Garfield Farm Museum best
demonstrates and depending on just one breed or variety of
animal or crop can greatly impact future society. The limited
varieties of potatoes in Europe in the 1840s resulted in the
great potato famine that lead to over 1 million deaths and
millions of lives uprooted as people left their homes for
other lands.
The Rare Breeds Show depends upon individuals who are
champions for particular breeds that they find meet their
needs. From sheep that shed their wool to horses better
adapted for arduous horse trekking competition, breeds were
developed to meet a wide range of specific needs. High yield
means nothing if the animal cannot survive in a hot
environment. A too highly interrelated popular breed can be
decimated by a new disease.
For any owner of such rare breeds, the practical and
economic reasons to raise these breeds are also augmented by
the owners’ love of a particular breed from its appearance to
its behavior. It is thus in the owner’s interest to insure the
breed will survive by making others aware of these breeds and
encouraging those inclined to become owners and breeders.
Although the internet has put many more people in touch with
breeders around the world, it is still the discovery process
and seeing up close what a particular animal is like that will
encourage new breeders.
The interest in local food production and organic farming
has created a whole new generation of traditional farmers that
are discovering the qualities of these breeds that set their
operations apart from the mass market.
The show is set in the pastoral farmyard of the museum, with
the animals and their owners stationed around the grounds
speaking with the visitors who have many questions. Exhibitors
are also welcome to bring and products which range from wool
fleeces to home made soaps. Breed representatives may also
bring displays and information even if an animal is not
available. Others may offer lectures about their breeds or
general topics about caring for, marketing, etc livestock and
poultry.
To register contact Garfield Farm Museum at Box 403 LaFox,
IL 60147 or call 630 584-8485 or e-mail info@garfieldfarm.org.
The public is invited to attend with a $6 donation for adults
and $3 for children under 13 years of age. Garfield Farm
Museum is five miles west of Geneva, IL of ILL Rt. 38 on
Garfield Road.
|