What are Heritage Animals and Heirloom Plants? by Abby

 

Heirloom plants and heritage animals:

Heirloom plants are considered to be a certain line of plants that have been passed down and used throughout generations. Similarly, heritage animals are certain genetics of a breed that is passed down each generation. Through technological advancements in artificial selection and genetic engineering, farmers have used those techniques to manipulate certain characteristics they want from their plants and livestock. If you have certain characteristics you want to produce in your crops or your animals, you can make it to where you can consistently have those characteristics show up year after year. For example, if you’re wanting a tomato plant to have a certain size, color, and taste you are able to genetically cultivate your plants to where they are able to consistently produce seeds that will yield those certain characteristics year after year after year. This process compares similarly to livestock. If they are wanting their livestock to have a certain structure or meat production then they are able to use a heritage breed from past generations that they’ll be able to use to improve upon and produce for future generations. The downside of such a constricted genetic pool is the risk of disease having a huge impact on the livestock crop. If the genetic diversity amongst the organism is low, then immunity of the organism decreases, allowing the impact diseases have on the organism increases drastically, sometimes wiping out whole species. Despite this, farmers continue to develop hardy crops and livestock that have more resistance to diseases that way they are able to keep these heirloom and heritage species alive so that they are able to continue to produce and improve upon the food we love to enjoy.