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Sessions & Clinics

Thursday – Friday, November 11 – 12, 2010

Dairy Processing 101 (Click Here For Detailed Infomation)
Place: Apply Center, White Eagle Conference Center
Time: Thursday: 8:00am - 5:30pm, Friday: 8:00am - 5:00pm
Fee: $395
Want to make the best regional cheese around, and do it with the milk from rare breeds? Then this is the workshop for you! Shannon Nichols and her husband have been just doing this with their Kerry and Ayrshire dairy herd. With funding from the Ceres Foundation, ALBC and Shannon have developed an in-depth, rigorous course that will help you understand the nitty-gritty of the trade. This two-day workshop will cover everything from ‘terroir’ to doing it legally, including equipment and scale issues. A mini-conference in itself, speakers are experts in their fields. Field trips to see small, medium, and large scale artisan cheese makers will give you the intellectual rigors of the classroom with the direct exposure to the farm and processing facilities. Registration is limited to 20 people.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Lunch is provided for all pre-conference clinic participants. Lunch is at the Apply Center from 12:00 – 1:00 PM

MORNING CLINICS

8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Hog Husbandry and Breeder Selection:
Rare breed pigs and hogs are enjoying a renaissance of interest among consumers and chefs. Raising these animals profitably in natural environments is central to a producer’s success in today’s market. In this workshop you will learn from experienced rare hog breeders how to raise hogs on pasture, how to select breeding stock for health and productivity, and how to develop and market to a specialty niche. (Location: Appley Center, White Eagle
Conference Center)
Speakers: Richard Tilyou, Josh Wendland, Jen Small/Mike Yezzi
Fee: $95

8:30 am – 11:30 am
Haute Cuisine of Heritage Poultry:
Preparing and cooking Heritage poultry well is as important – and as artful – as breeding and raising the breeds well. In this workshop you will learn what quality Heritage Chicken looks like when it’s undressed. You will also learn how to (and how not to) handle and cook Heritage Chicken for the best flavor and texture. Workshop participants will receive Heritage poultry recipes for future enjoyment. Steve Pope is the executive chef on the Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch team. Good Shepherd is opening doors for Heritage poultry across the country. (Location: Library, White Eagle Conference Center)
Speakers: Steve Pope
Fee: $125

8:30 am – 11:30 am
The Tricky Business of Managing a Breed Association:
Effective breed associations are governed by an elected volunteer board of directors, which defines the mission of the breed association, establishes management policies and procedures, assures adequate resources are available, and actively monitors financial and programmatic performance. This workshop draws upon the experience of ALBC board and staff as well as leaders of successful breed associations. Expanded from previous years, this workshop will cover management and money, registration and promotion, as well as disagreements, dissention, and other troublesome matters. (Location: Appley Center, White Eagle Conference Center)
Speakers: Charles Bassett, Elaine Shirley, Phil Sponenberg
Karen Thornton, Byran Childress
Fee: $25 (This session offered at a reduced fee to assure affordability.)

 

AFTERNOON CLINICS

1:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Raising Heritage Turkeys on Pasture:
Heritage Turkeys are now an established part of the food scene, but you need to know how to care for these beautiful birds to produce a quality product. Proper brooding, feeding, pasturing, processing, and marketing will be covered. Bill and Dayna Yockey have been successfully breeding, raising, and marketing Heritage Turkeys for over 10 years from their farm in Northwestern Pennsylvania. (Location: Appley Center, White Eagle Conference Center)
Speakers: Bill and Dayna Yockey
Fee: $95 (Includes a copy of Raising Heritage Turkeys on Pasture by ALBC.)

1:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Managing Bulls:
Are you one of many rare breed stewards who needs to keep a bull or two? Do you need more information about how to teach manners and manage them safely? Dave Sowter, owner of Dependa-Bull, has been custom collecting semen for 40 years. He has worked with mannerly and rank bulls, and he knows his business. Dave and his wife Christine will help the group learn bull management and training for safe handling, and bull health for production of quality semen. Phil Sponenberg, ALBC’s technical advisor, will discuss the pros and cons of confinement and herd-based management approaches. (Offsite Location: Dependa-Bull - Vernon, NY - Allow 30 minutes from the White Eagle Conference Center)
Speakers: Dave and Christine Sowter, Phil Sponenberg
Fee: $95

Conference Kick-Off - ALBC Annual Conference: Friday, November 11th - 5:00pm

Join ALBC staff, speakers, members, and fellow rare breed enthusiasts for the conference kick-off events. Enjoy a cash bar and browse some of the unique items available at the annual Silent Auction. ALBC will be unveiling the newly established Heritage Cattle definition. The unveiling will be paired with a tasting of Heritage Cattle cheeses from the local area. Following the tasting, enjoy a rare breed dinner and celebrate with the 2010 Bixby-Sponenberg
Conservation Award winner. Conference

Check-In: 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Cash Bar: 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Silent Auction: 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Heritage Cheese Tasting: 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Rare Breed Dinner: 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Saturday, November 13, 2010

All sessions will be at the Apply Center, White Eagle Conference Center.

8:00 am – 9:15 am PLENARY SESSION
Saving A Breed, Part 1 – Understanding the Pieces and Their Relationships:
Breeds are more than a group of similar looking animals. They have a structure based on relationships, they fit within an environmental context and a human culture, social structure, and husbandry practices. All of these pieces define a breed and contribute to breed-specific strategies for conservation and survival. Be sure to attend the closing plenary to learn about implementation. Speaker: Phil Sponenberg

9:30 am – 10:30 am CONCURRENT SESSIONS
Managing Stallions and Jacks:
The common conception is that stallions and jacks are dangerous, but as rare breed stewards keeping intact males may be a requirement. In this session you’ll learn about the pros and cons of different management systems, good manners to encourage and bad manners to nip, feeding for reproductive health, and basic facilities. Speaker: Pat Hastings

The Rationale of Selecting for Body Type in Chickens:
The size and shape of a chicken’s body tells you a lot about its job and its ancestry. Chickens and other species are good at what they do because of how they are built. Learn what the American Poultry Association standards imply when they define a body type. What does body type tell us about ancestry? How can you select your rare breed flock for the standard and the breed’s historic job? Learn the answers to these questions and many more! Speaker: Don Schrider

Marketing Using Social Networking:
Marketing rare breeds and their products is an important piece of conservation. Without a market for these animals, it makes it difficult to increase their numbers. In this workshop you will learn new trends in marketing and social networking. Jump on the social media bandwagon and learn how to effectively use this free and powerful tool for marketing your breeds. Speaker: Jennifer Kendall

10:30 am – 10:50 am BREAK - Refreshments

10:50 am – 11:50 am CONCURRENT SESSIONS
Raising Rare Rabbits for Market:
Raising rare breed rabbits for market requires skill, research, and thoughtful attention to detail. In this session you’ll get an overview of the many moving parts of this enterprise including breed selection, breeding stock acquisition, breeder selection, husbandry, processing and marketing. All of these topics will be examined with conservation as one of the end goals. Speakers: Autumn Bresloff, Callene and Eric Rapp

Heriage Dairy Cattle and Where They Fit:
Not all dairy cattle are alike – and neither is their milk. In this session you’ll learn about rare dairy breeds, the characteristics of their milk, and the regionally and flavorfully unique cheeses they produce. This is the perfect opportunity to figure out which breed is right for you, your farm, and your dreams. Speaker: Shannon Nichols

A Perfect Pair: Land Conservation and Rare Breed Conservation:
Natural areas conservators have often shunned livestock as the source of degradation. And yet, natural ecosystems have been molded and maintained through eons by grazing, browsing, and foraging animals. A few people are asking the heretical question: Can natural areas and rare breeds provide each other safe havens? David Harper of Land In Common, is a friend and former colleague of ALBC’s Executive Director Chuck Bassett, who worked for the Nature Conservancy for nearly 30 years. Darwin Kelsey is the Director of the Cuyahoga Valley (Ohio) Countryside Conservancy where he is saving farmland and rare breeds at the same time. Come hear their stories, explore their ideas, and share some of your own. Speakers: Chuck Bassett, David Harper, Darwin Kelsey

12: 00 pm – 1:00 pm LUNCH
12:45 pm – 1:15 pm ANNUAL MEMBERS’ MEETING

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm CONCURRENT SESSIONS
Heritage Breeds - Use them to Their Full Potential:
As human work has specialized, so has animal work. This session will remind and inform you of the talented, multi-tasking generalists that are “Heritage” breeds. Grazing, browsing, milking, mothering, hardworking, life-giving rare breeds have more to give. Through her work as Colonial Williamsburg’s Rare Breeds Manager, Elaine Shirley knows firsthand the history and value of multi-purpose livestock, their products, by-products and behaviors. These attributes are as valuable today as they were 250 years ago, so come explore some long-forgotten secrets. Speaker: Elaine Shirley

Chickens in the City:
With the recession, keeping urban poultry has become very popular and people are asking lots of questions. What breed? What about housing? Noise? And health care? What if there are zoning issues or neighborhood covenants? Patricia Foreman, author of City Chicks, has literally written the book on this topic! Speaker: Patricia Foreman

Having Fun with Youth and Heritage Breeds:
Kids love learning when animals are involved. Soft, fuzzy, and engaging, heritage breeds make excellent teachers. Autumn Bresloff is shaping children to be future stewards by teaching them about rare breeds today. Come hear what she and other adults are doing to teach kids and save breeds. Speaker: Autumn Bresloff

2:30 pm – 2:50 pm BREAK - Refreshments

2:50 – 3:50 pm CONCURRENT SESSIONS
The Art of Incubation:
Successfully hatching chicks from fertile eggs takes skill, practice, and careful attention to detail. Species, breed, equipment, and environment all play a role in the hatch. Rudy Broulette is a rare breed chicken breeder and hatcher just up the road in Madison, NY. Don Schrider is a Master Breeder of Brown Leghorn chickens and hatched all of the chicks for the ALBC Buckeye recovery project during its first two years. Speakers: Rudy Brouillette, Don Schrider

Managing Rams and Bucks:
Males, we need ‘em. The once common inclusion and exchange of rams and bucks needs to be the norm for rare breed stewards. There are different strategies for keeping males, managing breeding lines, teaching respectful manners, and keeping the peace on the farm. Join several presenters, all with different levels of experience, and learn successful male management through experience. Speakers: Al Caldwell, Elaine Shirley, Phil Sponenberg

Processing and Marketing Dairy Products from Heritage Breeds:
Across the country dairying is catching a new breath as consumers discover the wonders of flavor, texture, and regional products. Breeders of heritage dairy animals are seizing this opportunity and developing unique niches with their unique animals.This session offers a chance to explore with several breeders how they process their milk, market their products, and set themselves apart from other dairy entrepreneurs.
Speakers: Shanon Nichols, Rose Marie Belforti, Edmund Brown, Cory Upson

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm CLOSING PLENARY SESSION
Saving A Breed, Part 2 - Conserving Breeds Herd by Herd and Strain by Strain:
Building on the opening plenary session, we’ll learn what makes a strain, assure each strain contributes to conservation, and get some recipes for the farm and the breed. Topics include managing inbreeding, effectively employing line-breeding, knowing when to out-cross, and avoiding homogenization.
Speaker: Phil Sponenberg

Saturday Evening Networking Dinner

The Lodge at The White Eagle Conference Center
5:00 pm - Book signing with Phil Sponenberg, Patricia Foreman, and Silke Schneider
5:00 pm – 9:00 pm Cash Bar
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm Rare Breeds Buffet Dinner