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All we could have hoped for…
…when we began our English project. Entirely new pure traditional Devon bloodlines. And here is one: Buttercup from Brian Drake’s Essington Park herd. Bred there…born here…and now with her first calf. Brian has since retired and his herd, one of England’s oldest, has been dispersed. The sire of this month old well-mannered bull calf is our Churchill…out of Gavin Hunter’s great cow Tilbrook Cashtiller. The shortage of pure, traditional Devon bloodlines has become so critical in England that one breeder we know has thrown up her hands and is using an Angus bull this year, hoping for better luck next year. We’ll never forget spotting Buttercup’s dam on her pasture…
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Did you know that grass-fed beef is one of the top ten sources of tryptophan?
I have to confess that I didn’t know that grass fed beef is on the top ten list for sources of tryptophan…I always think of turkey. Tryptophan is the amino acid that goes on to become serotonin, the “feel-good” hormone which is low in depression, and melatonin, which helps us sleep at night. Other sources besides grass fed beef and turkey: lamb, chicken, tuna, pumpkin seeds, eggs, crab, cheese, and spirulina. In addition to getting enough tryptophan in your diet, it is important to pursue lifestyle strategies to minimize inflammation, because when inflammatory pathways are turned on, the tryptophan gets hijacked down an inflammatory pathway to make kynurenine and quinolinic…
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The next generations review…
..the next generation. It was front and center for this year’s crop of yearling-plus heifers. Not quite ready to breed and that’s the problem. Breed now and calve in the fall with the attendant problems plus rebreeding difficulty? Or wait until they’re ready which could mean calving in the equally difficult winter months. Church on the right voted to go ahead and he’s the one who gets up in the dark and will have to deal with the problem either way. Grandpa on the left voted to wait but of course he’s in Assisted Living where he can do nothing but express an opinion. Curt and Carolyn in the middle…
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Another profit center…
…this one for the gentlemen to go along with the spa for the ladies. (See below) While the ladies cuddle up with the cows in one pasture, the men could enjoy soccer in another pasture. Let’s go to the tape! David
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An update from the science desk….
Nothing really new here but it summarizes where science is and where it’s going. Will the government eventually mandate that we must follow? https://apnews.com/f628e7c65c794995b19977b7c1cdc10c David
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It’s fescue weather….
We had a good solid freeze last night…the time of year that fescue pastures come into their own! The main herd has just moved into the next to last paddock. The green line is obvious but you can click on the picture to enlarge. Scientists say that the freezing temperature increases the sugar content considerably. And we’ve never been able to buy hay that tests as well in winter as our fescue. Not by coincidence this is exactly when we time our calving. The cows are in peak condition and there’s plenty of energy in the ground for nursing and rebreeding…and no endophyte toxicity around to complicate things. When the…
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Remember, the answer lies in the soil….
When we first moved to Dallas, we had an English gardener, Patrick Butterworth, who ended every letter, birthday card, and bill with the above phrase. Over time I have come to appreciate how incredibly apt this phrase describes so many systems, from the human body and how well it heals, to the garden, to the pasture and the animals on it. Diversity has been shown to be an important part of any ecosystem, whether one is looking at the boardroom, the gut flora, or the soil. For our gut flora, we want a diverse population of bacteria, archaea, viruses, and fungi that together shape our physiology, guide our immune system,…
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A new profit center….
…and it certainly fits our wellness theme. A farm in New York offers spa treatments including “cow cuddling”. For $75 an hour you can snuggle up to a cow. Seems their body temperature and heart rate are good modifiers of the human condition. Of course that’s in New York; not sure our cows will work that cheaply. Thanks to longtime Devon friend Shauna Wobeser for sharing the link. David https://beyondblindfold.com/cow-cuddling-is-the-new-wellness-trend-now-and-it-costs-300-for-a-90-minute-session/
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Red Rubies….
…that’s what our British colleagues call them…often leaving off the “Devon”. Our most recent pure English arrival reminded us again of the beautiful deep ruby red color of the traditional Devon. We use different tags for our English herd though I’m not sure why. Hide color identifies the English animals long before you’re close enough to read the tags. We began the English acquisitions initially to strengthen our Rotokawa-Lenoir Creek-Lakota genetics. Developing an entirely traditional Devon herd came later. This is what we were looking for: a descendant of the champion English cow Tilbrook Cashtiller. The American side of the pedigree is all Rotokawa/Lakota. Clearly that deep ruby red color…
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You can take the farm…
…but then you know the old saying. It wasn’t that long ago that today’s over-populated Washington suburbs were wonderful, if not terribly productive, farmland. Even up to 40 years ago, super malls like Tyson’s Corner had to demolish barns and feed stores to make way for the likes of Bloomingdales and multi-tier parking garages. Still the old day’s and ways are not forgotten. Driving down the main street in Falls Church recently I noticed a statue of a farmer feeding his pigs. Investigation informed me that the statue was erected by the family of mega auto dealer Don Beyer in 1985. Seems the Beyers started out raising pigs on a…