Denise Hanna’s herd of cattle looks different from others seen near her Etna, California, ranch. That’s because they are different. That distinction is what first attracted her to belted Galloway cattle, and that’s why they draw so much attention.
Belted Galloways—informally known as “belties”—are best known for their appearance: usually black (although sometimes red or roan) with a wide, white belt running vertically between the shoulder and hind legs, leading some to refer to the breed as “Oreo cows.” Looks aside, the breed is known for its efficiency on rough forage, being good mothers and producing high-quality beef.
The cows are among a wide variety of heirloom breeds of agricultural livestock—animals once common across the United States but now considered endangered.
Known as heritage breeds, they are a throwback to a time before industrial agriculture became a mainstream practice.
According to The Livestock Conservancy, a North Carolina-based not-for-profit organization working to promote and protect these animals, heirlooms are breeds that were carefully selected and bred over time to develop traits that made them well-adapted to the local environment. The breeds thrived under farming practices and cultural conditions that are very different from some found in modern agriculture.
Because of unique characteristics such as slower rates of weight gain, these breeds fell out of favor with commercial producers, pushing some of the old breeds to the brink of extinction.
Today, The Livestock Conservancy lists more than 180 agricultural breeds across 11 species—ranging from rabbits, ducks and geese to cattle, horses and pigs—on its Conservation Priority List, an annual report ranking the danger of disappearance of each breed. The classifications are critical, threatened, watch, recovery and study. Based on these rankings, conservationists work to preserve these breeds.
Denise shares the organization’s mission when she speaks to those who ask about her Belted Galloways.
“I talk about how they are a heritage breed, and there are not as many of them,” she says, explaining the uniqueness of the breed and quality of the beef she sells online. “I’ve been very pleased with the taste of the beef. I find that they don’t need as much marbling to be tender and taste great.”
Across the country, more than 4,000 volunteer breeders and 150-plus breed associations work to ensure endangered breeds like belted Galloways—ranked under the “watch” category on the conservation list—don’t disappear. Homesteaders and farmers choose heritage breeds for a variety of reasons. Some, including Rex Studyvin of Jerome, Idaho, are attracted to the uncommon breeds.
Rex’s farm includes milking Devon cattle (listed as critical), Jacob-American sheep (threatened) and mule-foot hogs (critical). He says many of the characteristics of heritage breed animals— such as resistance to some parasites and diseases or ability to pasture in less-than-ideal settings—may prove to be valuable over the long term.
“They have genetics that we don’t want to lose because if those genetics are gone and we need them, we will have problems,” he says.
Denise Frye of Addy, Washington, calls it “maintaining genetic diversity for the future.” She got into raising a variety of chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese through an interest in permaculture.
“Permaculture is basically a lifestyle that incorporates sustainability into all of its principles, and heritage livestock certainly fills the bill in that regard,” Denise says.
Denise has been recognized for her work in conservation breeding of the cotton patch goose, which moved from critical to threatened on the 2023 list. She established the Cotton Patch Goose Society to further promote and protect the breed a dozen years ago.
The protection of biodiversity and genetic resources are other important reasons for protecting these breeds, says Alison Martin, program director for The Livestock Conservancy. Many producers choose heritage animals because they want to make a difference.
“None of us has a crystal ball to see what the future of agriculture is going to look like. This is about keeping these breeds around as a genetic reservoir,” she says, adding these animals are key to food security. “If we didn’t have this diversity, eventually, we would narrow our food system down to where it wasn’t sustainable. There would be no backup.”
That’s not lost on Denise.
“I do honestly, 100% believe that the cotton patch goose would have gone extinct if not for some of this work,” she says.
Efforts seem to be paying off. Since first establishing the Conservation Priority List 37 years ago, The Livestock Conservancy has yet to lose a breed to extinction. In fact, in the last dozen years, 12 breeds have graduated from the list, meaning those animal populations no longer need continual monitoring.
In 2024, two breeds—Southdown sheep and Hereford pigs—graduated from the list, and 15 breeds were reclassified within the list’s four tiers, most in a positive direction.
For farmers, educators and conservationists, the work of raising and promoting heritage breeds and their products is a labor of love.
More information about these animals and the Conservation Priority List can be found at www.livestockconservancy.org.