In 2021, FBD ran a controversial cover story titled “Temperament Over Trophies.” The argument was simple: If you are breeding for a family farm, a Grand Champion with a nasty attitude is worthless.
The magazine highlighted a study showing that 70% of new family breeders quit because of "fear handling"—an aggressive sire or a skittish dam that made chores miserable. family breeding digest magazine 2021
The 2021 Fix: The magazine introduced the "Apron String Test." If your breeding stock won’t calmly stand near children doing chores (specifically, near flapping aprons or noisy rain boots), they get culled from the program. We implemented this in 2021, and our barn has been drama-free ever since. In 2021, FBD ran a controversial cover story
Focus: Record keeping, registration, and selling breeding stock. Focus: Selecting your first breeding trio
The final issue of the year was unexpectedly thrilling for a topic that sounds dull: paperwork.
Focus: Selecting your first breeding trio.
This issue became legendary for its color-coded decision matrix titled “The $100 Breeding Project.” It argued that most new breeders fail because they buy show-quality animals as their foundation, when they should buy functional animals.