Becky Burkheart and Jacob Huffman of Cedar Break Farm and The Original Series Arabian Horses.
I’m that horse-crazy little girl that never outgrew her passion. The horses needed a farm and the farm needed stock. Jacob is my adult son who has lived and worked here since he was three years old.
While pigs are an relatively recent addition, I’ve been committed to rare breed preservation breeding since 1987 when I became involved with BLUE STAR Arabian horses, a closed group with only 18 foundation animals remaining in the current breeding population of under 200 remaining animals. A key element in preserving that group was not just in the bloodlines, but in proving their performance abilities. Throughout the 1990’s and up through my divorce in 2009, we were the third largest breeder of BLUE STARs in the US, with proven high-performance lines and breeding stock proven in high-performance sports.
Jacob and I are also deeply involved in the rare breed Turkish Boz Shepherds, another instance where performance is key. These amazing dogs average 150 to over 200 lbs. and we trust them not just to guard, but to love, all creatures that don’t pose a threat. Consider the potential for disaster if a dog of this size and power didn’t perform as expected.
We’ve also been involved with ADGA LaMancha dairy goats for almost 20 years, running herds as large as 40+ does for many years. They are not a rare breed, but a newish breed that still has an open book and that has taught me the value of being able to shape and improve existing stock.
All that said, horses, goats, dogs and now pigs, I’m in the comfortable place of “knowing how much I don’t know” about breeding and raising stock.
Since adding pigs to our stock, we’ve fallen completely in love with Red Wattles, for all the reasons you already know, and are (at this posting) in the process of transitioning our mixed herd to DNA parentage verified, registered red wattle stock. We are fully committed to this breed for the long term, as a family farm and as a business. In creating Red Wattle Pigs Plus, we’re attempting to create a safe place to record, document and hopefully, promote and grow, the red wattled pig population.
I want to reiterate, in closing, that this is not a club or an association. We don’t have bylaws, a board of directors, dues, fees, or even members. What we do have are rules and standards, a no-bullshit attitude, a commitment to transparency in all things, and a sincere commitment to the preservation and promotion of these amazing animals.
In cases of dispute, while we will follow a transparent process, the final say rests with me.
If you have questions, ask.