Farms: I Am A Musk Ox Farmer | INDIE ALASKA
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Musk Ox Farm Director Mark Austin is responsible for the largest (and possibly only), modern domestication experiment. For a number of years, he has been raising musk ox in Alaska's Mat-Su Valley. Austin first came to Alaska in college and quickly fell in love with the opportunities and lifestyle provided by living on, what he calls, "the fringe of society." Video: John Norris Travis Gilmour Story: John Norris Music: Starship Amazing
Comments
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Are they native or Alaska?
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They are awesome.
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is it possible to buy a musk ox skull ?
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I'd like to ask this gentleman if breeding records of these critters have been properly maintained since the project began in the 1950's and if the animals you see here ARE selectively bred descendants of the original stock. It doesn't look like there was a single geneticist or zoologist on staff or they would have been introduced; it seems to be just this dude, his missus and a handful of undergrads from the university keeping the place going. I don't see any visible evidence of any science being done.
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Keep up the good work it will pay off
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amazing life...
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Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but I have a pretty good idea what's actually going on here. This is a state-enforced monopoly, otherwise there would be private commercial muskox operations from Alaska to Nebraska to Vermont...and don't tell me they haven't made any progress in domestication over SIXTY YEARS?! How many more centuries will they need to get results?
Yeah, yeah, I know this was supposed to be a noble endeavor to try and get the gasoline-huffers off welfare but if muskox breeding and knitting operations are restricted by law and regulation to this one state-run operation it WILL remain a "roadside attraction." -
He could have also tried domesticating bison; with all of the demand for bison leather and meat products arising, not to mention the market arising all over the U.S, it probably would have made more sense from an economic standpoint.
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Musk Ox are so adorable, especially the babies.
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nice!!!
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Alaska needs a world class infrastructure - a state freeway connecting all of Alaska, bullet train/freight train, more airports etc.
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I wonder how many illegals did he see/count in New Mexico? haha -haha ......
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You could always drive out to Palmer and take a tour. It looks like you're in Alaska so it doesn't seem like a stretch to get the full hour long tour and have them answer your questions.
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great to see that this is happening, I love Oomingmak, the largest goats!
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Hi Jeff, we're glad you like the Indie Alaska series, and sorry if this episode left some questions unanswered. We're always working on ways to improve these episodes, especially in capturing so much story in just a few minutes! Let us know if you have any ideas for a future story or person to profile - cheers!
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Thanks Joanna!
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Thanks Shannon! The tour is definitely worth it.
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Lame. For such an interesting topic, this video shows nothing about what it means to "domesticate" a species. He gives no background for how/why he was able to join and be the ED of a Musk Ox farm. Who is this guy? Also, no information is given about what value there is to domesticating musk ox. The quiviut fiber is awesome, but there's nothing about the harvesting of it. I like this Indie Alaska series, but this one was not worth the time or money.
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LOVE THIS!
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Absolutely loved this video. Mark did an amazing job of capturing what it's all about. If I didn't already work there I think I might have to go on a tour!