Animals In And Out Of Museums

Ox Ploughing at the National Agricultural Museum of Korea (NAMUK)

We recently held a cultural event on May 14th, demonstrating traditional Korean farming practices through a live oxen ploughing performance at our museum’s outdoor terraced fields. This event not only showcased the ‘Gyeori farming culture’ but also featured a hands-on rice planting experience with over 200 students from a nearby elementary school, emphasizing the importance… Continue reading Ox Ploughing at the National Agricultural Museum of Korea (NAMUK)

Working Reindeer in Sápmi, the Land of the Sámi

The Sámi are the indigenous peoples of Sápmi, a region stretching over the northern parts of Scandinavia (i.e. Finland, Sweden and Norway) and parts of the Kola Peninsula in Russia. Reindeer herding is one of their traditional livelihoods. Reindeer as cultural heritage Sámi cultural heritage relies to a large extent on the reindeer. The hunting-… Continue reading Working Reindeer in Sápmi, the Land of the Sámi

The Most Historic Chicken You Never Heard Of

The Crèvecoeur chicken is among the oldest of the standard-bred fowls of France and the longest known French breed in the United Kingdom. The breed gets its name from the village of Crèvecœur en Auge in Normandy, France. “Crève Cœur” translates literally as “broken heart.” Editor’s Note: Jeannette is a connaisseur of the Crèvecoeur chicken… Continue reading The Most Historic Chicken You Never Heard Of

What a Difference a Decade Can Make

How bulls are getting shorter. When I started my role as the Director of the Canada Agriculture Museum (since renamed) in 2009, the definitive “rock star” in our bovine herd was Goody – a massive Hereford Bull. He was a mild-mannered giant that quietly amazed visitors with his impressive size in all aspects. Standing beside… Continue reading What a Difference a Decade Can Make

World Milk Day 2024 AIMA Lecture Series

The International Association of Agricultural Museums is pleased to share the recording of WORLD MILK DAY – 1 June 2024 – available HERE. The program conveyed the importance of milk and dairy products for pastoralists across time and place. Program: Debra Reid, PhD, Curator of Agriculture and the Environment, The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan, USA:… Continue reading World Milk Day 2024 AIMA Lecture Series

Draft Cattle Capture a World Audience

The Draft Cattle Symposium in Lauresham Open-Air Laboratory at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kloster Lorsch in Germany, 8-10 March 2024 To say the very least of this remarkable meeting, it has been “a-building” for many years through efforts from many and varied partners and institutions, among them the AIMA, several of whose members… Continue reading Draft Cattle Capture a World Audience

Draft Animals in the Past, Present and Future

Virtual Conference 8-9 May 2021. “Draft Animals in the Past, Present and Future” was piloted by AIMA President, Claus Kropp, now taking up the challenge of a world-wide effort to bring together draft animals users. The congress was virtual, and hosted by Lauresham Laboratory for Experimental Archaeology at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kloster… Continue reading Draft Animals in the Past, Present and Future

Jackstock Mules – a Presidential “Stomp” of Approval

Spotlight on Local Breeds This is the first in a series of articles contributed by Jeannette Beranger, of the Livestock Conservancy During the history of the development of livestock breeds in America, not many can claim its origin began with the vision of an American President. The American Mammoth Jackstock is one such breed. It… Continue reading Jackstock Mules – a Presidential “Stomp” of Approval

The Amazing Impact of Furry and Feathered Interpreters

Jeannette Beranger joins us again for an article on her experiences in the United States in using animals as the star performers in audience contact. For nearly 20 years, I was in charge of a Heritage breed farmyard exhibit within a facility that enjoyed over a million visitors a year. It never ceased to amaze… Continue reading The Amazing Impact of Furry and Feathered Interpreters

How Much is a Banker Horse Worth?

Jeannette Beranger points out that a sad incident led to precise evaluation of the “value” of the Banker horses that attract millions of visitors a year to the islands off the eastern coast of the United States. American Livestock Breeds Conservancy staffers Alison Martin, Steve Moize, and Jeannette Beranger headed to the North Carolina (United… Continue reading How Much is a Banker Horse Worth?

Donkeys, The Helpmeet Of Humankind In Pharaonic Egypt

Donkeys had long been domesticated in ancient Egypt and may have come from the family of Equus africanus known in Nubia. An illustration painted on a pre-dynastic (ca. 3000 BCE) schist plaque shows a donkey among the booty taken in Libya. The Egyptians used donkeys as pack animals and they were among the livestock of… Continue reading Donkeys, The Helpmeet Of Humankind In Pharaonic Egypt

The Learning Curve At Lauresham Open-Air Laboratory

– from oxen to old swine breed. Preparing the field for winter crops. A team of two Raetian Grey Oxen at the Lauresham Open Air Laboratory in Germany is ploughing one of the fields with a (re)constructed Early Medieval ard. In Lauresham various medieval field types (e.g. ridge and furrow) and systems (e.g. three-field crop rotation)… Continue reading The Learning Curve At Lauresham Open-Air Laboratory