This is the fourth year of the Rare Breed Trust’s Auction a.k.a. Future Farms Fund and Genebank. Again, we are incredibly grateful to have received sponsorship and donations from all over Australia, and from far afield as Canada!
The trust is run entirely by volunteers and receives no government funding. We have tried for more than ten years to get DGR but, unfortunately, there is no category for domestic livestock.
A government round table discussion set up by David Littleproud in 2021 concluded that Australia, one of the few countries in the world that doesn’t have its own gene bank, needed one. Despite that, nothing has been done, so the RBTA took matters into its own hands and started one.
At present we have mostly cattle semen plus a bit of horse semen, and there are plans to expand on this in the future.
We have two sources of funds at the RBTA, one being membership revenue ($35 per year). We have around 100 members. The second source is this auction. All money raised goes towards the Genebank (semen storage).
If you are a business or individual and you would like to donate to our auction in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us at rbta.auction@gmail.com.
We also have corporate / business membership, also at $35 per year. We put out a wonderful publication quarterly included in your membership, Paddocks and Perches. Advertising is also available in it. You can apply online or contact us at rarebreedstrustau@gmail.com
Now, to the auction:
From farmers and their families to football fans, there is plenty to interest everyone!
From poultry to pigs, and English Leicester sheep to Highland ponies, there are rare treasures to be found at the auction.
It’s a bit of a family and friends affair as well. My sister-in-law artist, Barbara Gibbings-Buckland, has donated some prints of rare breed cattle (White Park, now vanished in Australia), a Gloucester Old Spot pig (also sadly now lost in Australia) and a Red Cap Cock bird. Barb also did the art work on the Akubra hat last year. My sister donated some candles, my niece a canvas print and friend and well known dog trainer and trialist, Tammie Conroy, is the Auction Coordinator. Good friend Alex picked out the photo of the English Leicester flock and made it picture perfect for the other canvas. My pick? The treasure trove of our UK counterpart’s magazine, The Ark. For a book lover like me it’s the perfect prize!
Australian icon, Kent Saddlery, has donated generously to our auction since it’s inception, as have RM Williams Outback Magazine, so now’s your chance to get a handbag better than a Prada and not have to worry about calling into the newsagent to pick up the Outback mag.
Victorians can help support the trust and get themselves some AFL Golden Ticket seats at the exclusive Medallion Club. We appreciate Rob McCracken and the Farmer Direct team for donating these, as well as a subscription to the Small Farmer Magazine.
Zoos from all over Australia have donated passes and experiences once again.
Other wonderful items are a two night stay in Queensland at Glenlyon Dam donated by myself, and an unforgettable Highland cow experience in NSW.
If you are looking for feed – Riverina Warwick have come on board once again as well as Laucke Mills and Wilshire & Co have donated Agricon Blocks
We are indebted to Craig Cross who donated semen from Ravenswood Prado, a beautiful British White bull, long, well balanced and with an excellent temperament. Five straws are available. Craig has also supports our Genebank with other donations.
There will also be the absolutely amazing opportunity to start up a herd of what is possibly Australia’s most endangered breed of cattle, with only one breeder at this point in time. The Shetland breed from the Scottish isles are a beautiful catttle with a beautiful temperament. The donation consists of five straws from each of these registered Shetland bulls, born in 2015 from embryos imported from Scotland. The bulls are Zetralia Atticus and Zetralia Apollo Bay and they are registered with the Shetland Cattle Herd Book Society in Shetland. Atticus is the one with white markings on his back, Apollo Bay is almost entirely black but with characteristic white underbelly. Both bulls are two and a half years old at the time of photography but won’t fully mature until around six years old. They are the only ones in Australia.
Five straws from each of these two bulls. They were born in Victoria in 2015 from the embryos that I flushed in Scotland. They are both from the same sire but their dams are wide apart genetically.
Shetlands are an ancient breed from the Shetland Islands to the north of Scotland and are believed to have descended from the semi-domesticated aurochs introduced there 5,000 years ago. The Shetland was originally a dairy breed but from the mid 20th Century beefier examples were bred to meet the changing market. Meat and milk are both exceptional and the breed has many additional attributes that make it a valuable addition to the Australian cattle population.
If the successful bidder for the straws is interested in starting a breeding program there are straws available in Australia from sufficient additional unrelated bulls to make this a realistic undertaking. The owner of the straws would be happy to discuss this.
Just as I was about to sign off a last minute donation has come in consisting of 10 straws of Berkshire Pig Semen, donated by Linton Batt. What an amazing opportunity for someone to add genetics to their herd of pigs.
For a full list of the 53 items on offer head to RARE BREEDS TRUST OF AUSTRALIA 2024 CHARITY AUCTION – Auction 567 | AuctionsPlus.
