…is hard to do. Over the years we have spent a lot of time, effort (and money) on our pastures. The results have been gratifying and we reached a point where even seed and fertilizer salesmen were at a loss to recommend anything else. But now four years of neglect caused by health issues are seeming to take their toll. The heavy rains, flooding and pugging did their best (worst), too. Weeds have moved in and there could be still more next spring filling in bare spots. Actually from afar the pastures look pretty good…but we do want to measure now and hold some pastures back as we try several…

I had a long weekend at Thistle Hill Farm two weekends ago and loved my time there. I fixed fences with young Church, visited all the herd and delivered minerals to the different pastures, and worked on some weed-eating along the fence, done the old-fashioned way in my case- with hand clippers! I loved spending so much time outside, especially the ability to breathe in deeply the (relatively) clean air on the farm. Over the last year I have been taking an environmental health course with Dr. Walter Crinnion, learning about the ubiquitous toxicants in our air, food, and water. Even according to the EPA, there isn’t any area in…

Earlier this week a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine showed that eating more organic foods was statistically significantly associated with a reduction in risk of cancer. French researchers reviewed the diets of 68,946 middle-aged French adults by questionnaire, assessing how often they reported eating 16 organic foods. The average time on study was 4.5 years, during which time 1,340 cancers developed. Participants who were in the top quartile of eating organic food were 25% less likely to develop cancer over the ensuing years than those in the lowest quartile. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was 75% less likely in the organic food eaters, and postmenopausal breast cancer was 21% less likely. I’ve…

…pure, traditional English Devon heifer. She’s out of a very famous English line…one that we fell in love with when we saw a Bribery heifer on Shiamala Comer’s Ashott Barton farm in Somerset. This heifer came 10 days early and is a few pounds lighter than I’d like. (BW 59 pounds) But my prediction is she’ll grow up and hit our target for a two year old heifer when she’ll be bred. I base that not only on her genetics but that recipient cow watching over her. THF 257 was Wooz’ favorite…and a steady performer. I think maybe 257 wanted baby on the ground before she got too heavy. Can…

I visited the American Heart Association website recently and it recommends getting 5 to 7% of our daily caloric intake from saturated fat. This would be the equivalent of a 1 oz cube of cheese. This perspective perpetuates the idea that saturated fat in the diet leads to high cholesterol, which leads to heart disease. A large review published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2014 found no link between dietary saturated fat and heart disease. In 2016, researchers reviewed data from over 40 countries and concluded that there was no link between red meat and heart disease. The problem is not red meat; it’s the high glycemic carbohydrates:…

…two hours later. Up and exploring his new world. David

…would be a good name for this just-born English embryo calf. Mom was Tulip, one of the most famous Devon females ever named for a flower. We’re always struck by the deep ruby red coats of the English Devon…at least the pure traditional ones. Compare the coloring to the recipient cow behind her. David

Grandson Church made a quick trip to South Carolina this weekend to complete our herd of pure traditional English Devon cows. TDA 6 should have come north with her herd mates…but she stayed behind at Bill and Nancy Walker’s Century Farm to have a baby heifer. The two curious calves to the left welcoming the newcomers are Thistle Hill veterans. TDA 6 is out of our original Devon cow Cashtiller. This calf’s sire is Victory…out of Buttercup by Falcon. All spotless English Devon pedigrees… almost impossible to find today even in England. That’s why we started archiving the best English bloodlines some years ago…and why today pure, traditional English females…