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Temporarily out of order….
….our blog “comments” section, that is. Sorry, we understand some of you have been trying to get in for some time. I was thinking maybe I had done something wrong. Wooz has been telling me I need a shave. We’ll announce when it’s functioning again and I hope you’ll resend your observations. They’re the best part of this effort.
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Ken’s best….
….a current picture of Rotokawa 243, the bull New Zealand’s Ken McDowell feels is the best he’s ever produced. This is the one bull that was too young to make the trip when the Rotokawa herd was shipped to the United States. 243 is the sire of our herd bull, “Jackpot“, and we’re very impressed with the first calves that he’s fathered for us. He did, by the way, achieve 100% of his assignment. Regina Tesnow, in Tennessee, purchased a 243 son from us a year ago, and she also reports being very pleased with her calves. It’s the most uniform crop she’s ever had.
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Everybody sing…..
….”working in a Winter Wonderland”! Lah-lah-lahhh! Actually this last mini-storm was the worst kind: a sheet of ice under a little snow. Footing and traction are treacherous and the netting is frozen to the bales of hay. I use the front loader to crack the ice somewhat and I even drop them from about eight feet…..but it’s still a job for Wooz to rip off the netting. We keep telling ourselves this keeps us young!
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The Christmas spirit….
….Joan Harris, known in Devon circles for her calendars featuring Devon cows, has taken her art to the next level. She’s decorating the cows at her Harrier Fields Farm in Schodak Landing, New York. In this case, it seems just a bit like the proverbial “guilding the lily”. Harrier Fields was among the farms to receive the first Rotokawa Devon to this country a dozen years ago.
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ADHD….an epidemic or a fiction?
The popular wisdom is that we’re facing an ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) epidemic. Some experts trace it to diet…others to genetically modified foods…or to herbicides. And then there are those who say it’s not a disease at all….unless you count bureaucrats grabbing onto federal dollars if they can find ADHD in the classroom. How else to account for the wild swings from state to state, with the highest incidence of the “disease” where the bucks are going. We just don’t know but certainly we had “rowdy” kids when I went to school….standing in the corner or a trip to the principals office seemed to chill them out. Dr. Joseph…
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Devon aren’t the only beautiful creatures….
….on Thistle Hills’ pastures. Checking for new calves recently, we came upon this sight: Photo: Duane Ard
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Bulletin: Media gets one right….
….along the lines of “monkeys and typewriters” but the Associated Press stumbled onto the truth about ethanol the other day. The big thing is that, thanks to Google and Bing, there’s a good chance that this will become the new narrative. http://wtop.com/index.php?nid=1035&sid=3497726
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The Cashtiller legacy….
….we mentioned the passing of Tilbrook Cashtiller the other day but also the fact that Traditional Devon America has some of her calves on the ground. This is TDA3 at Walker Century Farms in South Carolina. (click on picture to enlarge) Her sire is Cutcombe Jaunty….another English great….and the result is a “meatier” animal than Cashtiller. TDA3 and four of her sisters will be bred in just a few days to Ashott Barton Millennium Falcon. Now that’s also something to look forward to!
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Everybody sing!
Our good friend Tom Neel is a talented artist who we’ve featured here from time to time. He’s also a talen…..well, he’s kind of a songwriter. In any event, ’tis the season to be jolly and in an exchange of emails, Tom got jollier and jollier until he finally penned this little ditty. Devon, by Tom Neel To the music of Irvin Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek” Devon, I’m a Devon and my hide’s so red if you could only see …. That beautiful meat that lives inside of me makes delicious burgers, ribs and roasted treats. Devon, a red Devon Field raised and happy as I…
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When a Gator just isn’t enough….
….you may need a “Panther“. At least our friend Jim Yancy thinks he found his next Jeep! Warning: equipped with some options that are extra! www.youtube.com/embed/2150iFXF5Vc?rel=0