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Frank Reese and his flock of heritage breed turkeys
  • Mar 20, 2023
Frank Reese, Savior of Biodiversity

Saviors come in many forms. For turkeys, it’s Frank Reese Jr., a poultry farmer who has had a fondness for turkeys since childhood and lived life with one focus — save heritage breeds with genetic lines that in some cases date back to the mid-1800s.

Heritage Breeds Week — Inspirational Figures
  • May 22, 2021
Heritage Breeds Week — Inspirational Figures

For our final entry on Heritage Breeds Week we salute the rarest breeds of all! The people who move us into action on a national and global level! We have met so many inspirational people over the years, but 5 stand out as particularly important in shaping our mission.

Frank Reese on the Urgency of Heritage Poultry Conservation
  • May 19, 2021
Frank Reese on the Urgency of Heritage Poultry Conservation

The Bronze turkey is the king of turkeys and the foundation of all other breeds, varieties, lines and commercial modern turkeys of today. My Bronze turkeys have been here on the Kansas prairie for over 103 years and we must not lose them.

The Fate of American Poultry
  • Oct 20, 2020
The Fate of American Poultry

In the early 1800s millions of Bison roamed the plains of the United States. Less than 100 years later their numbers had been reduced to a mere 541 animals. While early conservation efforts helped raise this figure modestly, it was only when American farmers began raising Bison for their meat that their population grew into the hundreds of thousands. Much like the early Bison, the millions of healthy Standardbred chickens and turkeys which used to occupy the American landscape are now on the brink of extinction.

Heritage Foods Celebrates the 5th Annual #HeritageBreedsWeek
  • May 20, 2019
Heritage Foods Celebrates the 5th Annual #HeritageBreedsWeek

A Major Achievement for the Cause of Preserving Tradition, Biodiversity and Bio-Security in the Food Supply
  • Sep 28, 2018
A Major Achievement for the Cause of Preserving Tradition, Biodiversity and Bio-Security in the Food Supply

FRANK REESE, AMERICAN HERO
  • Nov 3, 2017
FRANK REESE, AMERICAN HERO

Frank is a true hero of the Heritage food movement — he is the first and only sustainable commercial farmer to receive certification by the American Poultry Association for his birds as purebreds, standards that were set in 1873 — and he has been featured in publications ranging from the New York Times to National Geographic. His story is the Rosetta Stone of sustainable farming, and the reason why when it comes to meat, the word “heritage” is synonymous with “heirloom.” Good Shepherd turkeys are the oldest line of turkey in America, 100 percent antibiotic free, and pasture raised on the Kansas prairie.

The Oldest Domesticated Livestock in the United States: Navajo-Churro
  • Dec 7, 2016
The Oldest Domesticated Livestock in the United States: Navajo-Churro

This is an EPIC story about the oldest domesticated livestock breed in the United States, a story that spans 500 years, and hopefully ends on on your plate.