Since 1987, we have worked to conserve heritage breeds.

Dream it.

It all began with an idea. Inspired by the foundation of Rare Breeds Survival Trust and Seed Savers, Jy Chiperzak founded Joywinds Farm: Rare Breeds Conservancy in 1987. Jy saw the need to preserve not only rare livestock breeds, but also the genetic diversity within agricultural breeds as a whole. His vision included maintaining a semen bank to hold valuable genetics for the future, whilst also conserving animals on the ground. During this time the first issues of Genesis (the publication of HLC) were printed

Build it.

As time moved on and the conservancy grew, the charity underwent a name change to Rare Breeds Canada. The RBC Host Farm Program was dominant at the time and helped to preserve both the Newfoundland and Ojibwe ponies for future generations. Members also started to frequently attend fairs. Our breed conservation list was also continually updated to maintain a pulse on purebred, registered livestock in Canada.

Grow it.

To better reflect our mandate and mission, RBC was renamed Heritage Livestock Canada in 2018. Since then we have worked to save the last remaining Lacombe in Canada, maintained and added both swine and horse semen to our gene bank. Whilst introducing new and innovative ideas, such as our virtual show.

Our Mandate

• To be a centre for the study and conservation of heritage breeds of farm livestock

• To educate the public about the importance of heritage breeds of livestock

• To promote generally among the public the need for conservation and study of heritage breeds of livestock

• To encourage the breeding, raising and dealing in heritage breeds of livestock

We also strongly believe in the next generation of heritage livestock breeders, as such we offer a 4H incentive each year. Participants who complete their 4H project using a heritage breed (as defined on our conservation list) are given $25 each, promotion in Genesis, our Facebook page and website.