Scottish Highland Sponsorship

HI! We have just started a rare breeds ranch which includes Scottish Highland cattle. We are in the process of acquiring rare poultry, geese, etc. They will be given lifetime homes in exchange for being part of our "education center".

The keeping Scottish Highland cattle purebred is economically difficult. Highland cattle needs large pastures and long periods of time to develop. This makes them less than commercially viable yet their genetics are very important to all breeds of cattle. To preserve these genetcis, we are interested in keeping these cattle pure. To make it possible to keep them economical (so we can spend money on hay and care), we have learned about Adopt the Cow Programs or Sponsorship Programs. Is this a viable alternative? Would those unable to keep cattle want to join our farm in raising these unique animals in exchange of owner certificates, newsletters, and possible visitations?

Could you suggest or advice us on this idea? We treat all animals as part of the family and they get the best humane care. But we could keep a great deal more rare livestock if we had some assistance. Would anyone want to keep a pet cow on our farm to help in our conservation efforts?

We are accepting ideas, livestock donations, etc. We are open to suggests and requests. Feel free to e-mail! :) [email protected] [img]null[/img]

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Forgot to add: The 4R Rare Breeds Ranch is located in Montana!

Originally posted by rarebreed:
<STRONG>HI! We have just started a rare breeds ranch which includes Scottish Highland cattle. We are in the process of acquiring rare poultry, geese, etc. They will be given lifetime homes in exchange for being part of our "education center".

The keeping Scottish Highland cattle purebred is economically difficult. Highland cattle needs large pastures and long periods of time to develop. This makes them less than commercially viable yet their genetics are very important to all breeds of cattle. To preserve these genetcis, we are interested in keeping these cattle pure. To make it possible to keep them economical (so we can spend money on hay and care), we have learned about Adopt the Cow Programs or Sponsorship Programs. Is this a viable alternative? Would those unable to keep cattle want to join our farm in raising these unique animals in exchange of owner certificates, newsletters, and possible visitations?

Could you suggest or advice us on this idea? We treat all animals as part of the family and they get the best humane care. But we could keep a great deal more rare livestock if we had some assistance. Would anyone want to keep a pet cow on our farm to help in our conservation efforts?

We are accepting ideas, livestock donations, etc. We are open to suggests and requests. Feel free to e-mail! :) [email protected] [img]null[/img] </STRONG>

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:) :)

Do you have any picture of them you could post? I do know what they look like, having encountered pictures of the shaggy beasties before, but other might be curious.

Have you registered yourself with the state as a 501c3 registered non-profit, so people's donations to your group would count as tax deductions?

Do you have a website?

Karen,
Thank you for the thoughtful questions. As I posted earlier, we are just starting and are only considering this idea at present.

No, we are not non-profit. According to our accountant, we do not make enough money to pay him the hours necessary to do the paperwork! (The sponsorship idea is usually considered a "paid service" from what I have learned about the idea.)

As far as donations, we have found most people are happy to find a farm willing to take in their pets. You see, so many individuals can't bring themselves to eat the duck, geese, calf, etc they hand raised all summer. We accept these animals as donations to our farm. We do not offer tax incentives and no one actually asks for it. They are just happy to give them to someone who cares as they do. As for money donations, we had not meant that at all. If you got that impression, we apologize. Sponsorship fees would cover our costs for printing and mailing cost plus give us a boost in purchasing the cow initially. Our true intention to offer this "ownership" is to allow people unable to raise livestock the farming experience. Only 1 percent of the United States population are farmers. This is our way to bridge the gap between farmers and non-farmers. It is our belief that better farming practices will occur if more non-farmers were given some access to farming. This is just one way. Our educational area will be another. Maybe, with kind advice, we can come up with a few more. Our emphasis is education and conservation. You can't do this on a normal farm budget. We are just looking for other ways to meet practical needs while acheiving our goals!

The rare breeds do not financially support themselves. We are just looking for options. Think of this: Last year a ton of hay was $65 per ton. This year it is $180 per ton. While commercial ranchers and farmers can use cheaper grains to supplement feed, Scottish Highland genetically benefit from NOT being fed grains. This is the practical side!

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Originally posted by Karen:
<STRONG>Do you have any picture of them you could post? I do know what they look like, having encountered pictures of the shaggy beasties before, but other might be curious.

Have you registered yourself with the state as a 501c3 registered non-profit, so people's donations to your group would count as tax deductions?

Do you have a website?</STRONG>

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