“Frosty”
The Small Farmers Journal has a new issue out this month (May) which contains an extensive article about Heritage Shorthorns and the Heritage Shorthorn Society. This issue also has a picture on the inside front cover which is based on the classic horned Shorthorn cow “Frosty” that belongs to HSS member Zane Sunday. If you are not familiar with the Small Farmers Journal, it is dedicated to homestead type farming with informative and “how to” articles about using draft horses and oxen, growing specialty crops, heritage livestock, traditional and regenerative farming practices, building or modifying useful equipment, etc.
Increasing numbers of HSS members are making monetary donations to HSS because of their strong belief in the efforts that HSS is making to help to preserve, promote, and produce Heritage Shorthorns. HSS sincerely thanks these members for their financial support. The Small Farmer’s Journal promotional article and the assorted national advertisements for 2024 are just our latest efforts on your behalf.
Some Heritage Shorthorn Society members have brought up the point that although the purpose of the Heritage Shorthorn Certified Beef and Heritage Shorthorn Milk programs is to enhance the marketability of Heritage Shorthorn products and to encourage the utilization of Heritage bloodlines, the current guidelines need to be modified to provide more viable opportunities for HSS members. The changes HSS is incorporating in response to membership concerns will allow more members to use these marketing programs to promote Heritage Shorthorns.
The rules/guidelines for the Heritage Shorthorn Certified Beef program previously stated: #4a—“The animals are full Heritage Shorthorns, or are Heritage-Influenced Shorthorns (Shorthorns with at least 25% Heritage bloodlines by pedigree—i.e. using a Heritage Shorthorn bull or son of a Heritage bull on modern Shorthorns will result in offspring which qualify).”
Because steers that are destined as locker beef are obviously not used for breeding, and because they often come from cows which have not been kept current on registrations in ASA or AMSS, HSS has decided to expand the definition of what can be marketed under the HSCB program.
Rule #4a will now read: “The steers in the quality beef HSCB program must be at least 75% Shorthorn (to take advantage of the natural marbling qualities of traditional Shorthorns) and also at least 25% Heritage Shorthorn by pedigree (to recognize the preservation & utilization of Heritage bloodlines). Steers qualifying for this program can only have the traditional red, white, or roan Shorthorn coat patterns. No black in their hair coats and no Hereford or Belted coat patterns are allowed.
The Heritage Shorthorn Milk has had a logo, but has not had official rules/guidelines. In considering that a micro dairy, by necessity, mixes milk from all their cows into a common holding tank, and they typically would have Milking/Dairy Shorthorns that are not all registered as “Heritage” by HSS or “Native” by AMSS, the following rule would now apply:
To qualify for the Heritage Shorthorn Milk logo, all of the cows currently in production at the dairy have to be registered Milking/Dairy Shorthorns (this includes classic Dual Purpose). In addition, when looking at the combined registration papers of these cows, at least 25% of their combined parentage must be certified as “Heritage” by HSS“ or “Native” by AMSS.
**If any HSS member needs further clarification on the updated rules for the Heritage Shorthorn Beef and/or Milk programs, do not hesitate to contact the HSS office with your questions or concerns.