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Thistle Hill Alumni Club….
….we took a side-trip on the way to the recent Devon meeting to visit the Tennessee chapter of the club. The girls at Tomina Farms near Waynesboro were clearly over-joyed to see us….or at least Wooz. We were just excited to see how well animals we had raised were doing so well under the care of Regina and Tom Tesnow. Regina clearly has taken Wooz’ indulgent treatment a step further, though. As we’ve reported earlier she even gives her pampering has paid off in a beautiful herd and we’ve gained dear friends in the processs. The undeniable star of Tomina Farms is this bull, calved three years ago…
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The annual Devon meeting….
….was held at Jacob and Jenny Owens’ beautiful “Brookview Farm” in Kentucky thoroughbred company. And the Owen’s more than hold their own in that high-powered company. The 600-acre farm is home to about 50 mama cows so, as one of the visitors put it, stocking density is not a problem. Calving season had just begun, adding both fun and an extra educational opportunity. The 100-plus attendees included quite a few new faces. If any scene typifies a Devon meeting, it is Gearld Fry (in yellow shirt) lecturing from a wagon bed about the proper cow. Among the listeners was Jacob’s herd, which crowded close and were rewarded to hear that their thymuses…
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The new Devon leadership….
….there was quite a turnover in the leadership of Red Devon USA this weekend. The new officers all come from the smaller of the two associations that recently merged to form the new blanket organization. Elected president is Roy Doan of Tennessee, Vice President is Jacob Owen of Kentucky, and Treasurer is Paul Calucci of New York. Guille Yearwood was added to the board. When the merger was first suggested, there was considerable opposition within the American Devon Cattle Association because of fear it would be gobbled up by the larger North American Devon Association (NADA). As a gratifying sign that the six-year long rift between the two groups has…
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Waiting for breakfast….
….the main herd watched this morning as we put a new, huge water tank in the Eastern pasture. They’ve been patiently waiting….and watching that succulent stand of Italian rye on the other side of the wire. Our chief-of-everything, Duane Ard, noticed the advance guard on the horizon while filling the tank. A few minutes later we were surrounded!
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Time out….
….no blogging for the next week as Wooz and I head for the annual Devon meeting in Lexington at Jacob Owens’ farm. If you’re looking for Devon females…and can’t wait for the Thistle Hill listing…there’ll be some good-looking females at the sale. There’s also a good-looking candidate for the board and I hope Wooz gets your vote! No one has worked harder or put in longer hours for the Devon breed…and no one cares more the pure Devon cow. Details about the meeting, the sale and the election are at the association website: www.reddevonusa.com
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Ladies in Beef….
….is an organization in England which promotes beef consumption…and our very own Juliet Cleave is right in the center of things (as usual). Right now they’re doing a television campaign plugging roasts as an easy mid-week meal. What could be better than a roast in the crockpot….toss in whatever you find in the refrigerator and bins and…voila!
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Made in the USA….
….Traditional Devon America™ reached another milestone with the birth of this little bull calf. TDA is a partnership of three American breeders focused on importing traditional English Red Devon genetics to the United States. The dam of this calf….one of the first English embryos conceived at a clinic in Oxford and the daughter of two British Devon champions….was Tilbrook Castiller. Cashtiller was particularly note-worthy for the great bulls she produced. The AI sire of this little guy was Ashott Barton Millennium Falcon, but we’ll do him a favor and call him Falcon, for short. He’s just over 12 hours old in these photos but we’re hopeful. We calve our heifers…
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Thistle Hill goes global…Part Three….
We mentioned the other day the number of overseas visitors to this website and checked again today to find we have added three more countries to the list: Nepal Nigeria Madagascar Welcome friends! As we say in Virginia: “Y’all come back, y’hear!?”
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How good is Thistle Hill pork???
Well, modesty has not been one of my more noticeable traits. But even I had to blush reading this rave review we received about our most recent pork from Brooke Henley of Middletown, Maryland. The pork is heavenly! What an animal! And the processing is amazing too! So far we’ve sampled two cuts of bacon (definitely will be the first thing we run out of!), pork chops, and a ham steak. Photographic evidence attached! This is one of the 2″ thick chops and yes, we’ve just sliced it open. You’re looking at it from the end. One chop was enough for both of us and we had a little bit leftover.…
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Thistle Hill goes “global”…Part Two….
….by coincidence, the same day of our South Africans visit, (see Global Part One below) we received an email from all the way around the globe in New Zealand. We’re always surprised at the readership this blog receives in far-away places….and gratified when we hear from afar. Frankly, it makes me a bit ashamed that I don’t devote more time to our Blog to make it more deserving of your attention. But here’s the note we received from Helena Barrio: Although originally from Devon, I now live with my family in New Zealand. We farm a small stud in the north island. I love Devon cattle, and I too am…