These heritage cattle are making a comeback, thanks to one P.E.I. family's passion
CBC
A family in Belmont, P.E.I., is on a mission to rebuild the popularity of a breed of dairy cattle called Milking Shorthorns.
Three generations of the Barrett family have raised and bred them, and they are now turning to genetic research to help sell others on their merits.
"I likely owned my first one when I was eight to 10 years old. Since I'm 66, you can do the math," said Fred Barrett, who operates Oceanbrae Farms along with his son Matt.
"They have a long history of when they come over here from England in the early centuries. They were quite popular then."
Barrett said Milking Shorthorns fell out of popularity about 50 years ago, as dairy farmers switched to big milk producers such as Holsteins and Jerseys.
The shorthorns were known as dual purpose then, raised for milk and beef.
A name change and marketing by the Canadian Milking Shorthorn Society are aimed at rebranding the breed.
"They're a quiet, easygoing cow. We have the cows out in the pasture here, and they are a grazing cow, along with being able to feed them inside the barn," Barrett said.
"From what we're told, the amount of feed that we're putting into them, the amount of milk and components, fat and protein that we're getting from these cows, are at the top of the line for efficiency."
The society is also focusing on genetic research, led by Fred's son Ryan Barrett, who has been studying dairy cow genetics since university in the early 2000s.
"The work that Ryan is doing is going to make quite a difference because of the young, new breeders that's coming in," Fred Barrett said.
"We'll be able to be on the same footing as some of the other larger breeds that have these programs in place, and the work that he's doing will make it easier for us to promote these cattle."
Barrett's work to genotype 125 milking shorthorns on the Island has received funding from the P.E.I. Department of Agriculture.
He was also recently awarded $12,000 from Genomic Atlantic to test another 300 animals in Atlantic Canada.
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