|
On November 22, Americans observe Thanksgiving, an iconic harvest festival with roots in the nation's 17th-century settlement by European colonists. Roasted turkey is the traditional centerpiece. But the breeds of wild turkey on the table in early America have nearly disappeared, replaced by a domesticated bird that is bigger, faster-growing and cheaper to raise. Around the world, many traditional livestock breeds are disappearing as industrial meat production takes over from small producers. But some are trying to preserve their old varieties as insurance against an uncertain future. A sprinkle of corn, and Rachel Summers' turkeys come running. She raises a small flock of a breed called Standard Bronze at Crowfoot Farm, about an hour from Washington. These are birds with history, Summers says. "They are what you would have found in colonial barnyards." And you'll find them today in re-creations of those 17th and 18th-century barnyards, like the ones here at Claude Moore Colonial Farm outside Washington, where workers in period costumes are chopping wood for the fire. Summers started volunteering at the farm when she was just 11. It was here, she says, she grew to love and appreciate these uncommon birds. "When I started learning more about their history and their place in the world now, I realized how rare they are and how important it is to preserve them," Summers noted. Julie Long is a turkey researcher at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She says today's commercial birds were bred for size, then crossed with white-feathered varieties to produce unblemished skin. | 
