[Jacob-list] Re: JACOBS by Anita Evangelista - Part 2 of 2

[Mark Essen]

I thought I sent this out a couple of hours ago, but since I have not you
received it, I guess I will try again.  Please forgive me if you get it
twice.  This is part two of Anita's letter.
Mark Essen
Famous Acres
6701 County Road 353
Fulton, Mo.  65251
(573)642-0350
messen at socket.net
Jacobs 4-Horn Sheep, Pygmy Goats, Pyrenees, Peafowl, Turkeys, Highland
Cattle, Yak, Emu, Fallow Deer, Zebu Cattle all living together in the
Kingdom of Callaway

Subject: JACOBS by Anita Evangelista - Part 2 of 2
The true old breed of Jacobs was a tough, hardy, resiliant animal. If this
is
not the first priority in our day-to-day selection, we have already veered
off
from the original type. Mr. Jones undoubtedly knew, as we do today, that it
only took three generations to fix a particular trait in this sheep, so he
might have outbred to other breeds of sheep to secure a certain
characteristic. How do we even know that Mr. Jones old Jacobs are "real"?
The fact is, all breeds are "manufactured", made by the process of
selection of specific characteristics from the vast gene pool that is
"sheep". When that genetic base is limited to certain traits, such as size
or coloration, other traits are lost. Lost, no set aside, stored, or kept in
abeyance.
DNA sequencing can only hold so much genetic "information". If you
select for growthiness in your lambs, you select away from the ability
to thrive on scant forage. If you select for size, you lose mothering
abilities and multiple birth. Therefore, the "real" Jacob sheep must not
have lost its most important characteristics. It must have intact, the
highest possible number of elements which define and set apart the
breed.
I already know what the "ideal" Jacob is, anyway: the type of sheep that
constitutes the "real" breed. It is all the sheep in my pasture.
It is the short, tubby ewe with the loose open fleece. It is the rangy
jumper
with the close, coarse wool. It is the ewe that sheds in the spring, and the
one that grows a tight, closed fleece which is impossible to shear cleanly.
It is the ewe that produces dark lambs no matter who she is bred to; the
one that takes an occasional swim in the pond; that one who wants to
bear her twins, alone, in the woods; the one that likes to eat water plants;
the one that prefers cedar bark; the one that will tackle any dog in a
one-on-one fight; the one that climbs fences; the one with blue eyes; the
one
with five horns; the polled one born of multiple-horned parents; the
old one who lost her teeth three years ago and still produces lambs; the
one with split eyelids; the one with nearly-nonexistent ears; the one with
freckles; the one without freckles; the one with great, huge spots; the one
with tiny, circular spots.
These are all "real" Jacobs, because individually and en masse they
carry the characteristics of the breed. If I eliminate that freckled ewe
based on her freckling, I have just lost a piece of true Jacobness - and
an entire assortment of other traits that sheep carry. Any one of these
sheep could fit a specific breed standard based on a certain "look" -
and in three generations I could make all of their descendents fit any
standard, merely by selecting appropriate rams.
But these and other traits will utterly cease to exist if they are not
protected - protected by keeping the individual sheep who bear the
traits alive. If these sheep are eliminated from our breeding programs
because of arbitrary selection standards, their unique characteristics
will be irrevocably and irretrievably lost forever.
But, I can assure you that there will be no options in this breed, if only
one specific type is considered "true", if one look is defined as "ideal".
Will this be the Painter line? The Hescock line? The Laseaux? Or Evan,
Reynold, or Hardy sheep? Or the Thaxton version of the breed?
If we truly love the diversity and uniqueness of the Jacob sheep, we must
be willing to tolerate - no, to encourage - the individual breeder's
 tastes,
desires and spectrum of types. Given a loose breed standard, such as
the one originally used by the AMBC and the one offered by the Card
Grading system, we can still retain those traits we most desire in our
own flocks - yet continue to have access to distinct qualities in other
owner's flocks.
We must battle the "plague of sameness" which threatens to swamp
other breeds. Sameness and uniformity are the characteristics of those
breeds which have few choices for the future; they are stuck with only
what they have and are already stressed to the ultimate capacity of
their adaptability. We must insist that Jacobs remain diverse - if only
because diversity ensures survival options.
And keeping the breed alive and thriving is what owning Jacobs is
all about.
                                                  END

At the time she wrote this, Anita Evangelista and her husband owned and
operated a small business offering wool and woolen supplies. They raised
Jacobs on ten acres
in Peace Valley, MO. Anita frequently writes about sheep and small
farm operations in selected publications.

Thank you Edd for reminding me to read it again.  We certainly are a blessed
breed, those of us who raise Jacobs.