Save the Dutch Belted at Hampshire

I am a student at Hampshire College, I study sustainable agriculture and specifically Heritage Dairy cattle. I chose Hampshire back in 2014 because they had a herd of Dutch Belted, a rare Heritage breed. At the time they were milking the cows and using the milk for a variety of programs. I found out, on my first day at Hampshire, that they had stopped milking the Dutch Belted, and I was devastated. I have spent the last two years thinking of a way to put our remaining animals to use. At the moment the animals are  costing money with no return. I am currently facilitating a course that is based on the management of the Dutch Belted and trying to breed them and distribute them to other breeders. We have a lot of valuable genetics, and breeding them makes financial sense.

I currently have 12 students involved, helping to watch and care for the cows. We are looking for funding to purchase semen, and equipment that we need to start the project and breed the animals we have.

It would be wonderful to share at the Livestock Conservancy National Conference, taking place at Hampshire College this Novemeber, the progress we have made in getting the cows bred and trained!