Old World Cattle at The River Farm

Preserving old world genetics and breeds are very important to our livestock management philosophy at The River Farm. While it’s not only crucial to protect endangered breeds, practically speaking they are also perfectly suited for grass-fed, low input management. American Milking Devons or AMDs, the breed of cattle utilized on our farm, are one of the oldest pure breeds in the world. These cattle settled the United States in the 19th century and were selected for their resilience, hardiness, and equal usefulness for meat, milk and draft power.

In contrast, contemporary breeding of cattle has selected animals for a singular purpose. While this provides gains in efficiency for milking or meat, it often leads to less resilient animals that require higher input management. So while you may be producing more quantity, this doesn’t always equate to easier management or more profit for the farmer. We are committed to preserving old world breeds for this reason.

Contemporary genetics could be compared to a high-end sports car: very good at what it does, but practically useless in lower input environments. Comparatively, old world breeds could be described as a reliable tractor: it may not be the fastest, but it will pull you out of resource scarce or difficult environments. The River Farm is committed to protecting and preserving these breeds because we believe they are essential to a resource dwindling future with less inputs available.