Home > Our Projects > 3MC – Nordic Mountain Cattle
Contact: mervi.honkatukia@nordgen.org
Project active: 1 November 2019 – 30 September 2022
“3MC – Nordic Mountain Cattle” is a cross-disciplinary project that makes sure that history and stories surrounding Mountain cattle are examined, acquired, preserved, communicated and made public. The knowledge that is acquired will help us understand the cultural history of the cattle breeds, and in that way make sense of the world today. Through understanding the history of the breed as well as the profound human-animal connection, we can raise awareness and establish collaborations to find new ways to utilize the unique traits of the Nordic Mountain Cattle – and thereby save them for the future.
The main characters in the exhibition are the three Nordic mountain cattle breeds. The exhibition is produced in cooperation with the 3MC project, led by NordGen, and the Museum of the Torne valley.
The long common journey of man and cattle in the north is examined through historical turning points, the current situation and future prospects. The exhibition highlights, for example, the evacuation of Northern Finncattle to Sweden during the Lapland War. The evacuation was a significant rescue operation for the breed’s survival. The exhibition is held at the Museum of the Torne Valley until the 21st of August 2022.
Combining several academic disciplines in this project will give the project a more nuanced picture of the history, culture and lineage of the mountain cattle.
The fields of study include:
The most important achievement during the first year of the project are the contacts that have been made with the livestock owners who do practical conservation work, as well as with other friends of the northern cattle breeds, who are actively promoting the tradition.
Our network makes it easier for actors to meet, share information and work towards common goals. We welcome everyone to join our group on Facebook where we post in English and Nordic languages and discuss all matters related to Nordic Mountain Cattle.
The information gathered in the project is distributed through a game application. It will illustrate the consequences of mating selections for the coming generations made by the player: to be successful in the game, the genetic diversity of the animals has to be maintained.
The project is funded with a grant from Interreg Nord and Länsstyrelsen Norrbotten 2019-2022 and has 5 Nordic partners. NordGen is the coordinator for the project as well as responsible for investigating pedigree and population kinship, dissemination of results and implementation of applications. NordGen will also be responsible for establishing the network of preservers.
2022.09.06
2017.07.01
2018.03.05