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An inspection tour…
…the new management took me around to check on our cows the other day. With my usual impeccable timing, we were right in the middle of a blizzard. Carolyn and Church got a close look but I stayed in the car, which promptly got stuck in the snow. But the main herd looked great…featuring a beautiful calf crop staring a Tulip youngster from England who is going to make a major impact soon. It is personally rewarding to see the farm, which was founded almost 75 years ago, doing so well under the next generations. PS: they sent a 4-wheel for me and a tractor for the car! David
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A reunion…
…with my friend and mentor Jim Gerrish the other day. Jim is the acknowledged guru in the grass fed business. He first came to Thistle Hill Farm about 15 years ago and was influential in designing our grazing plan. When people rave about the taste of our meat…they’re really raving about Jim. So when I heard he was speaking at a day-long grazing conference in Boonsboro, MD, I signed right up. Jim is a retired Ag professor and runs a thousand cow feeder operation in Idaho in addition to lecturing around the world. Most of all he has never stopped learning and revisiting what he knows. If he’s ever speaking…
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English update….
The bull calf on the left is out of a Tulip dam, a line that goes back as far as there have been herd books in Britain…about 170 years. He’s definitely a “comer”; love his head and muzzle! The heifer on the right is out of Bribery. Church spotted her dam on his first trip to England. Ten years earlier I fell for her grandmother but it took young Church to sweet-talk breeder Shiamala Comer into releasing the genetics. We’re often asked how we judge purity. Check the muzzles on these two calves. Flesh toned…clear of any spots. It also helps to know your registrar. In years past, our in-house…
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Did someone mention Valentines Day….
Our young bull Cutcombe must have gotten the idea somewhere because he took off overnight looking for love. Fortunately a neighbor spotted him early in his search and helped Church herd the young lothario back into the bull pasture. Fortunate too that his eight mates didn’t follow him on his quest. So no harm done…oh the fence! David
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Young cattleman of the year….
…if you’ll permit a proud Grandpa to brag. Grandson Church has just been named one of the 12 outstanding young cattlemen of the year by the leading grass fed organization in the country. The Grass Fed Exchange will salute the 12 young men and women at their annual meeting in Santa Rosa, California in April. The Grass Fed Exchange is an organization of regenerative farmers, processors and food experts dedicated to producing the highest quality meat and dairy products on grass. Each year they give full fellowships to promising young men and women starting out in the field of sustainable grass farming. Church manages our Thistle Hill herd of 34…
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Happy New Year!!!
The Big Boys might call this a “line extension”. Son Curt was recently invited to a special Chinese New Year’s dinner featuring Thistle Hill Farms beef tongue, pigs feet and jelly fish. Truth in blogging: the jelly fish is not from our pond. Nor are the chicken feet. Curt reports the tongue was excellent. Less enthusiasm for the feet. Warning: You may not want to try this at home. Meantime, we’ll stick to beef. But tongue is available by special order. If you’re not on our mailing list to receive our monthly newsletter just write: info@thistlehill.net. David
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The joy of farming….
Grandson Church is taking a post graduate course in biology this winter…and a course on everything else here at the farm. It’s easy enough rolling out the hay and makes for a nice picture but…but… The trick is to get the tractor started in zero temps and the bale positioned with the plastic wrapping off so the clamps grab it at the mid-point so the hay rolls out in an even line. The cows clearly look forward to their breakfast-almost-in-bed and you can see a calf or two moving in for a bite. What the young ones really like is sleeping in the hay instead of the frozen ground! The…