Alternative livestock in Alaska: bsion to yaks

摘要

Farmers in Alaska are working with an exciting range of livestock, from small creatures like the red worms at Can-O-Worms Alaska to large mammals such as elk at the Northern Lights Elk and Bison Ranch. Farmers in the field of alternative animal husbandry are raising an amazing variety of livestock: alpacas, bison, elk, llamas, musk oxen, reindeer, worms, wild swine, and yaks. Raised for their meat, wool, antlers, or for their versatility as pack animals, large ruminants are the subject of much interest and business enterprise in the state. Scientists and agriculturalists met in Anchorage April 10-12 for an educational conference on nontraditional ruminant livestock species. Sessions covered animal management, veterinary medicine, Alaska livestockoperations, and agrotourism opportunities for diversified livestock ranches and farms. Greg Finstad, Peter Fix, Norman Harris, Janice Rowell, Milan Shipka, and Mingchu Zhang of the SNRAS were among the presenters. About fifty people attended the conference, where they learned about facility requirements, nutritional and reproductive management, disease control, and the tourism opportunities associated with producing nontraditional species. Speakers at the conference were from Alaska, Yukon Territory, North Dakota, and Colorado. The first day of the conference concluded with a banquet where the main course included Alaska-produced bison, elk, reindeer, and yak. The last day involved a field trip to Northern Lights Elk and Bison Ranch, owned by Delbert and Jackie Simineo; Pitchfork Bison Ranch, owned by Todd and Roxanne Pettit; and Windy Valley Muskox Farm, owned by John and Dianne Nash.