This site will be dedicated to knowledge of our threatened livestock breeds as well as heirloom flora.
Take a 'virtual tour' of our farm! Images added frequently.
NEW! Farm Blog Random thoughts and events on the farm.
On our farm we pride ourselves in maintaining primarily breeds of animals that are listed through the American Livestock Breed Conservancy as rare or threatened. These breeds, often described as 'heritage' existed long before commercial farming became the norm. By selecting the animal breeds to fit our farm, instead of inventing production systems to fit the breed, we are able to produce Certified Naturally Grown animals in a humane way without large amounts of organically certified grains, making healthy food reasonably priced. Obviously, you are what you eat, so spending a bit more to buy products produced naturally - with no GMO's, no hormones, no antibiotics, in stress free pastures and mountain range is actually investing in your health. Links to studies and nutritional information will be added soon.
Read more about Certified Naturally Grown here - it's so much more than just feeding OMRI bags of feed or using no hormones! We put back into the land, improving it, buy locally, and avoid Genetically Modified Organism feeds. This is how this land has been farmed in the past, and the more we learn from those who farmed it before us, the more we are committed to preserving its heritage.
We collaborate with several farms and CSA's in the tri-state (MD/WV/VA) area. As the breed information is developed on the site, you will be able to 'visit' these farms and their breeds and link to their website to purchase.
It's time you bypass the supermarket, buy from a local farmstead. Buy a rare breed product and keep them as a part of our farming bio-diversity.
Find the following breeds at our farm or associates -
Goats
Myotonic or
Tennessee Fainting Goat - A Rare Breed's herd is called
Shanghai Shaggies - see them here
Nigerian Dwarf
Hogs
Berkshire Pork
Large Black
Old Gloucester Spot
Poultry
Ameraucana
Buff Geese - available at A Rare Breed
Beltsville
White Turkeys
Delaware
Dorkings
Maran
Narragansett Turkeys
New Hampshire Reds - available at A Rare Breed
New Jersey Buff Turkeys - available at A Rare Breed
Produce
Catnip - Wildcrafted/Mountain Grown
Hickory Nuts - available in late summer at A Rare Breed
Rabbits
Creme d'Argent
Sheep
Black Welsh
Mountain - available at A Rare Breed
Kahtadin
Sheep
....and where to find
these and other fine heirloom and endangered breeds and bring them to your table or farm.
While we are not a 'living farm' type farm, agritourism is alive and well in our area. Our next door neighbor is Willow Run Farms, LLC - come camp in their tipis or stay at the B&B (Cider Mill House) and I'm sure your gracious hosts Kat & Ed can fill you in on the exciting, and often silly happenings at A Rare Breed.
