"...when the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another Heaven and another Earth must pass before such a one can be again."
-William Beebe

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Speakers

Charles Bassett has served as Executive Director of ALBC since July 2002. He joined the ALBC staff after serving 28 years with the Nature Conservancy where he worked at every level of the organization. Chuck has a M.S. in Biology from Adelphi University and brings over 30 years of experience and success in biodiversity, conservation, non-profit leadership and management, strategic planning and implementation, organizational development, and fundraising.

Rose Marie Belforti, with her husband Tim, own and operate Finger Lakes Dexter Creamery LLC, a micro-dairy in King Ferry, NY. They milk a small herd of Dexter cattle to produce “a raw milk farmstead cheese cultured with living kefir grains and made with the lusciously rich milk of Irish Dexter cows.” They are dedicated stewards and enthusiastic promoters of the breed and their unique cheeses.

Autumn Bresloff is the Farm Manager at Heritage Farm Inc., a day habilitation site for people with developmental disabilities, based in Bouckville, New York. She uses rare breeds to teach farm participants and children life lessons that are inherent in farming. She is an active member of her regional dairy goat club and is working towards certifying Heritage Farm and the Oberhasli herd as a certified dairy.

Rudy Brouillette grew up on a dairy farm in Oneida County, New York. He is a devoted family man, and he and his wife are raising their six children on the farm. During the day he is a rural letter carrier for the U.S.P.S. In his off hours Rudy runs a small hatchery, breeding over 50 different breeds. Rudy has been raising poultry since he was a child. Rudy is active in his community and is a quality steward of rare breeds.

Edmund Brown apprenticed on a small diversified farm in southern Germany that had numerous crops and a small milking herd. He is now engaged in launching a grass based dairy and artisan cheese operation near Cooperstown, NY, an endeavor begun in 2009. In the years between his first taste of agriculture and today he worked in hospitals in VT and NY as a Registered Nurse.

Al Caldwell developed an interest in rare breeds in the years leading up to retirement from a career in manufacturing management. Through Plimoth Plantation’s rare breeds barn, he was introduced to their very young project to import and conserve goats from Arapawa Island, New Zealand. Al became involved with the project and along with breeding Arapawas; he established a formal registry and a website for the breed. He has been an ALBC member since 1990.

Byran Childress was born in Clintwood, VA - the extreme southwestern tip of Virginia - and graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Animal Husbandry. His professional career path includes service as: a U.S. Army Aviator; Special Agent for the FBI; Chief of Field Services for the Commonwealth of VA Department of Criminal Justice Services; and, Director and Vice President of Financial Investigations for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of VA. Byran’s interest in rare breeds was sparked by the realization that many of the livestock breeds of his youth had disappeared. Along with Ruth, his wife of 45 years, he resides in Manquin, VA, where he raises classic Morgan horses, Hog Island sheep, Ossabaw Island pigs, Tennessee Fainting goats, and Buckeye chickens.

Patricia Foreman has degrees in Pharmacy and Agriculture from Purdue University and a Masters of Public Affairs from Indiana University. Pat has kept poultry for over 20 years, including owning and operating a small-scale farm with free range, organic layers, broilers, and turkeys. Presently, she keeps a backyard flock of heritage chickens. Pat is the co-author of several books including: Chicken Tractor, Day Range Poultry, Backyard Market Gardening, and A Tiny Home to Call Your Own. Her most recent book is City Chicks. Pat co-hosts the Chicken Whisperer Backyard Poultry and Sustainable Lifestyles Talk Show.

David Harper has over 20 years of experience as a land conservation professional. He has worked with land trusts, landowners, and other conservation partners to preserve more than 1,500 acres of farmland, grasslands, forests, and wetlands. In 2005, he founded Land In Common, a consulting practice working with community organizations and landowners to secure land as a community asset for affordable, sustainable food production, forestry, and ecological housing. Land In Common is partnering with the ALBC to develop and implement the Stewarding Land and Heritage Breeds initiative.

Pat Hastings grew up on a dairy farm in Petersham, MA. She owned and operated a dairy farm of Jersey cows for 20 years. She did all her own collection and breeding. Beginning in 1978 Pat also worked for large horse breeding farms in the area. In 1998 she began working for Hamilton Rare Breeds Foundation (HRBF) in Hartland, VT, where she is responsible for managing a large herd of very rare Poitou donkeys, Choctaw horses, and Dales ponies. She also managed the Randall Lineback cattle herd when they were at HRBF. Pat is a certified technician for the American Breeder Service. She competes nationally in combined driving events with home-bred Dales ponies.

Darwin Kelsey is the executive director of the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy, a non-profit organization working with the National Park Service to rehabilitate approximately 30 of the old farms surviving within the boundaries of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. These new-old farms follow modern, sustainable agriculture practices to produce high quality fruit, vegetables, and animal products for direct local sale. Darwin and his family live on one of the farms and raise rare breeds. Darwin played a key role in the founding of ALBC.

David Kendall serves as executive secretary of the American Milking Shorthorn Society. David also serves as the current chair of the Council of Dairy Cattle Breeding, a member of the National Animal Germplasm Program-Dairy Committee, a member of the Purebred Dairy Cattle Association, and as a director on the ALBC Board. Reared in Chino, CA, David graduated with a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of California-Davis and has worked in the dairy industry in many aspects.

Jennifer Kendall is a graduate of the University of North Carolina with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. After spending several years in the transportation marketing and tourism marketing industries, non-profits began calling her name. She now manages ALBC’s marketing and communications efforts and helps members and farmers reach their marketing goals through outreach and education.

Frank Kipe is committed to small dairies with big dreams. Based in Smithburg, MD, Frank started MicroDairy Design LLC to help micro-scale farms become both environmentally and economically sustainable. “If you cannot make money you won’t be around long enough to help sustain the environment.” To meet his mission Frank works designing dairying equipment that meets or exceeds all applicable regulatory guidelines, is affordable, very flexible, and appropriate for small scale producers.

Dennis S. Moore grew up on family dairy farm in Northeastern NY that had about 60 milking cows. After graduating from high school, Dennis spent a short time in U.S. Navy and attended SUNY Canton majoring in Dairy and Food Science. He graduated with an Associate’s Degree in 1974. In 1977 Dennis started working as a Dairy Products Inspector for the New York State Department of Agriculture in Central, NY. He now serves as a Dairy Products Specialist II for a ten county area in Central and Northern NY.

Shannon Nichols and her husband David have had various endangered breeds over the past 16 years. Their interest has evolved from being breed collectors to being conservation stewards of breeds that are useful in on-farm cheese-making. David focuses on fluid milk and ice cream and Shannon on making traditional raw and pasteurized milk cheeses. In 2007 their herd transitioned to Certified Organic. Shannon has been working with ALBC since 2008 to develop an educational program for cheese-making with rare breeds.

Steve Pope learned to love poultry as a child on his grandparent’s farm. He learned husbandry and processing from his German grandfather and traditional cooking from his German grandmother. His culinary education has taken him to Taiwan, throughout Europe, and south to Mexico. He’s both hosted and appeared on television and radio food programs. Steve has long been an advocate for the conservation of Heritage Poultry and its historic cuisine. He is now serving as the educational chef for Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch, helping to educate others about how to create memorable meals with the rich palate of Heritage Poultry.

Dave Potter has been involved in the food and dairy industry since 1982 after he graduated with a B.S. degree in Dairy Science from South Dakota State University. His focus was in dairy product manufacturing. He spent his first 21 years employed with a culture fermentation company which is now Danisco USA. His primary responsibilities were in the technical application of cultures and other ingredients used in the commercial manufacture of fermented milks and cheeses. In 2004 he joined his wife, Cathy, owner of Dairy Connection, Inc., providing technical application support for dairy cultures and ingredients to farmstead and specialty cheese makers throughout the U.S. He has supported the American Cheese Society through participation as a technical cheese judge and technical session presenter.

Quality Milk Production Services Program (QMPS) promotes the quality of milk by reducing mastitis levels in dairy herds. QMPS offers a variety of services, notably on-farm evaluations of management and equipment and whole herd milk cultures. Based on the findings, the program’s extension veterinarians advise producers, veterinarians, and milk inspectors regarding optimal practices for improving herd health and farm management.

Callene Rapp is a Senior Keeper at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, KS, home to 27 different breeds listed on the ALBC Conservation Priority List. Callene has helped develop a dedicated staff that ensures the zoo visitors are introduced to rare breeds and the advantages offered by these breeds versus commercial animals. She has a strong background in agriculture and operates Rare Hare Barn with her husband Eric where they raise rare breed rabbits, chickens, and Quarter Horses.

Eric Rapp is a third generation farmer who has been working with rabbits since he was big enough to help his granddad carry a bucket of feed. His granddad believed in everything being natural and organic. Eric and his wife Callene carry on this legacy by insisting that everything that goes into their Rare Hare Barn rabbits be as wholesome as possible. In 2008, Eric retired from his full time job to take on rabbit production full-time. In addition to the rabbits, Eric and Callene raise Pineywoods cattle, Jacob sheep, and Nankin bantams. Eric currently serves on the ALBC Board of Directors.

Steve Richards is a business consultant for Farm Credit of Western New York. Steve has been working in the food industry for over 20 years and has worked with clients in farm production, value-added food processing, and retail food marketing. Before becoming a consultant for Farm Credit, Steve worked for Cornell University for eight years. While at Cornell, he published seventeen workbooks on family business issues. Steve’s consulting practice focuses on business planning, financial analysis, business strategy, estate planning, business transfer, joint ventures and partnerships, and family communication issues.

Jen Small and Mike Yezzi raise rare breeds of pigs on their upstate New York farm. Started in 2000, the farm has grown from finishing 3 pigs to finishing more than 600 pigs, along with 1,500 laying hens and 3,000 pastured meat chickens. The high quality of Flying Pigs Farm’s pork, chicken, and eggs—as well as the farm’s sustainable production methods—have been recognized in Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, “O” Magazine, The New York Times, GQ, Gourmet, Business Week, and other leading publications. Flying Pigs Farm’s products are sold at Greenmarkets in New York City, through the farm’s online store, and to top NYC restaurants such as Jean-Georges, Gramercy Tavern, Savoy, and Telepan.

Don Schrider is a poultry aficionado, authoring many articles on breeding and raising chickens that have appeared in such publications as Backyard Poultry, Chickens magazine, Countryside and Small Stock Journal, Mother Earth News, and Poultry Press. He is a Master Breeder of Brown Leghorn chickens. He designed and implemented ALBC’s Buckeye Chicken Recovery Project, which has resulted in the significant rise of Buckeyes that meet the APA Standard of Perfection for phenotype and production attributes.

Elaine Shirley is the rare breeds program manager for Colonial Williamsburg, where she oversees the breeding and educational programs for their rare breeds. She currently serves as the president of the Leicester Longwool Sheepbreeders Association. Elaine has served on the ALBC Board of Directors, and in 2009 she received ALBC’s Bixby-Sponenberg Conservation Award for her conservation efforts on behalf of Milking Devon cattle, Leicester Longwool sheep, and Nankin chickens.

Dave & Christine Sowter own Dependa-Bull, in Vernon, NY, one of only a handful of custom bull semen collection services. Dave started his career 40 years ago in CT. In 1972 he started Dependa-Bull. Christine joined him in 1990. Together they collect, process, store, and distribute semen from over 150 bulls a year.

Phil Sponenberg has served as the Technical Advisor for ALBC since 1978. He is a veterinary pathologist and geneticist at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. He has written several books on color genetics and rare breed conservation including A Conservation Breeding Handbook and Managing Breeds for a Secure Future. Phil is sought after as a speaker on genetics as well as rare breed conservation. He has taken the lead on Spanish horse rescues and is a conservation breeder of Spanish horses and Tennessee Fainting goats. He works closely with many breed organizations as well as with individual breeders.

Karen Thornton is an ALBC Board member, who served as Board President during an earlier term. She grew up on a cattle farm near Mount Vernon, IA, and graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in Animal Science and a B.S. in Dairy Science, followed by an M.S. in Food Science from University of Georgia. She worked for the University of Georgia Animal Science Department collecting breeding, nutritional, and carcass data on beef and swine. She also worked in the food industry, most recently marketing organic food ingredients to manufacturers. Karen owns and operates a natural foods store and café named Big Creek Market. She and her husband John and three daughters, live on her home farm raising Belted Galloway cattle and Choctaw horses.

Richard Tilyou, his wife, and two sons raise Tamworth and Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs outdoors on pasture on their 97 acre farm in western NY. Their small farm produces about 225 pigs annually, including breeding stock, feeder stock, and finished hogs. In addition, Richard is now in his twenty-first year as a high school chemistry teacher.

Cornell Upson, of Cherry Valley, NY, began milking in 1998, and in 1999 purchased his first Dutch Belted heifers. He now has a herd of 40 cows, 33 of which are purebred Dutch Belted. Corey serves as president for the Dutch Belted Cattle Association
of America.

Josh Wendland is a fifth generation family farmer. He and his family breed and raise Red Wattle hogs, Belted Galloway, and Angus cattle for market. They live on the edge of the Flint Hills in north-central KS where they enjoy raising their animals in an all-natural environment. Josh served as President of the Red Wattle Hog Association.

Bill and Dayna Yockey of Townline Farm Poultry Reserve have raised rare standard turkeys since 1992. Their main focus has been the Midget White and Kardosh Bronze. Conservation and expansion of these varieties has motivated them to be active with ALBC and PASA. They have participated in farmers markets, taste testings, and educational presentations, and have been featured in several newspapers and magazine publications. In addition to the Heritage Turkeys, the Yockeys raise Runner ducks, Pilgrim geese, Buff Orpington chickens, Tunis sheep, and Dexter cattle.